Schildering

House at the top of a waterfall. Gao Qipei (1660 - 1734). China c. 1700. Ink and colours on paper. Gao Qipei gained fame as a finger painter. But he was more than a painter with an unusual technique; his strength lay in the originality of the composition and choice of subject. In this he differed from other painters of his day. The artist painted the landscapes in this album with his fingers and nails. He added the inscriptions and the washes later with a brush. The inscription, left: The distant shadow of the Dragon Pass and the tolling of the Stone Bell are depicted together here.