Visiting a Recluse with a Qin

This painting is traditionally attributed to Ma Lin of the late 13th century. Ma artists evolved a formula for painting wherein the pictorial surface is divided in half diagonally. One side is filled with pictorial motifs, while the other side is left empty to suggest vast space. Here a scholar is shown being followed by his servant who carries a qin (a kind of lute). A feeling of vague melancholy is a hallmark of Ma Lin. Here, the lonely scholar pausing for a moment to enjoy the transient beauty of the mist-filled landscape strikes a poignant chord.