Li Cheng (about 919-967), whose courtesy name was Xianxi, was a descendant of the Tang clan. His ancestral home was Chang'an (now Xi'an). He lived in seclusion in Yingqiu (now Zibo, Shandong) in the Later Zhou Dynasty, so he was also called Li Yingqiu. He often paints snow scenes and cold forests, mostly northern scenes. There are not many outlines, and the shapes are layered; there are very few scratches, and the backbone is solid. Landscape painters often say that mountains in the north have many "bones", so the "backbone" of mountains in Li Cheng's paintings is particularly prominent, and they are straight and solid. "Guo Ruoxu's "Pictures and Knowledge" of the Song Dynasty commented that Li Cheng's works are "desolate and sparse, and the smoke and forest are clear", which is also the characteristic of Li Cheng's landscape paintings. Today, there are "Reading Stone Tablets", "Cold Forest Plains Picture", "Qingluan Xiaosi Picture", "Maolin Yuanxiu Picture" and so on.


"Jackdaw Picture" is his famous work, which depicts the scene of a flock of crows gathering and making noisy noise among the trees in the pond after snow in winter.


What is worth appreciating is that the inscription and postscript are also very exciting. This painting has an inscription and postscript by Zhao Mengfu of the Yuan Dynasty and is praised as a high-quality painting. The trailing inscriptions and postscripts also include two inscriptions on Qiantang Qiuyuan, a famous poet in the Yuan Dynasty, and Guanyun Shi, a famous Yuefu master in Mongolia, which are particularly rare. Of course, there are also inscriptions and poems written by Emperor Qianlong.

Please view the full frame horizontally


"Jackdaw Picture" Li Cheng, Song Dynasty, ink on silk, 27.1cm long, 113.2cm wide, collected by Liaoning Provincial Museum


Appreciation of wonderful inscriptions and postscripts


Zhao Mengfu of the Yuan Dynasty said of this picture: "The forest is deep and snow-covered, the cold air is overwhelming, and the blackbirds are gathering. It has the feeling of hunger and cold, whining, and it can be said to be capable."


Inscriptions and postscripts on Guanyun stone by Mongolian Yuefu masters of the Yuan Dynasty


Inscriptions and postscripts by Qiantang Qiuyuan, a famous poet in the Yuan Dynasty


Ming Dynasty Chen Yanbo's cursive script inscriptions and postscripts


A seven-character poem written by Emperor Qianlong across the water:
Thousands of leaves have fallen from the branches of the forest, and crows gather to cry out in hunger and cold.
Sigh, my people would rather have nothing like this. I can't bear to look at the pictures around the fire.