Su Wu the Shepherd

Min Zhen, who was orphaned at age 12 and developed an eccentric personality, was trained by Tang Yin (1682–1756), a writer, playwright, and superintendent of the imperial porcelain workshops in Jingdezhen. The connection to him may have enabled Min to stay in Beijing for a decade from around 1773. It is not clear whether he ever resided in Yangzhou, but his style is in many instances reminiscent of that of Yangzhou artist Huang Shen. This album demonstrates Min’s versatility and mature style in the last years of his life.

A vertically oriented ink drawing on pale cream paper depicts Su Wu, an older man with light skin tone, a long white beard, and loose robes, looking upward with his mouth open while holding a tall staff. To our left, a white sheep faces away; on our right stand a dark sheep and a white sheep. Above them, a bird flies toward our right. Black calligraphy and red seals mark the paper.

Su Wu the Shepherd

1788

Min Zhen

(Chinese, 1730–after 1788)

China, Qing dynasty (1644-1911)

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