Landscape
Chen Hongshou Chinese
Not on view
Two gentlemen sit in a waterside pavilion. One has a stack of books by his side; the other holds a fan as they converse. Attendants come and go with wine or tea and a zither (qin), the musical instrument considered most appropriate for use by scholar-amateurs. Although the landscape beyond shows a broad river bounded by distant hills, the scene strongly evokes the atmosphere of a garden, in which strategically placed pavilions served as stage sets for elegant gatherings.