https://i.postimg.cc/G2r9qWfn/mmexport1784372580765.jpghttps://i.postimg.cc/L5QX4n6w/mmexport1784372585256.jpghttps://i.postimg.cc/WzVkQDfJ/mmexport1784372589856.jpghttps://i.postimg.cc/kGY4MBgn/mmexport1784372594550.jpghttps://i.postimg.cc/ryfzNYC7/mmexport1784372599028.jpghttps://i.postimg.cc/283ycF0k/mmexport1784372606962.jpghttps://i.postimg.cc/L67XrYWh/mmexport1784372616416.jpghttps://i.postimg.cc/3N9dVtvs/mmexport1784372651310.jpghttps://i.postimg.cc/4x9dZ4Cw/mmexport1784372660409.jpghttps://i.postimg.cc/BnK6sZ9s/mmexport1784372665181.jpghttps://i.postimg.cc/g0b009mn/mmexport1784372669559.jpgHandscroll on silk
Painting core: 61cm in height, 492.5cm in width
Preface section: 61cm in height, 95.5cm in width
Colophons at the tail: total length 77cm
Quantum technology dating confirms the painting core was created in 1313 AD, the late artistic maturity period of Zhao Mengfu. This handscroll depicts layered green mountains, deep valleys, winding springs and streams using light blue-green coloration. The brushwork is gentle and elegant, integrating the landscape painting styles of Dong Yuan and Li Cheng. It combines the meticulous coloring of Song paintings with the literati spirit of Yuan dynasty freehand brushwork. Dozens of gibbons are painted throughout the scroll. Groups of gibbons, young and old, scatter among mountain cliffs. They reach for the moon, climb branches, search for food in woods and play with one another, with vivid and lively expressions. The scroll is signed "Zi Ang". Above the signature are two Qing court collection seals: "Three Rare Hall Master Appraisal Seal" and "May Descendants Preserve". The former was used to grade artworks stored in the Three Rare Hall, while the latter is an imperial seal wishing descendants to keep this treasure. The seals are placed strictly following the rules of Qing palace internal collection, avoiding the main painting area. Below the signature is Zhao Mengfu’s personal name seal "Mengfu". Scattered private collection seals from different dynasties along the edges of the silk provide physical evidence of its early private provenance.
The three characters "Le Linquan" on the preface were dated to 1764 AD via quantum testing, written by Emperor Qianlong himself. His calligraphy features bold, dynamic strokes with clear lifting and pressing, typical of Qianlong’s running script. There are six imperial seals neatly arranged on this preface. At the top center sits the "Qianlong Imperial Brush" seal, his personal seal for imperial calligraphy. On the right side are three collection seals; two seals on the left from top to bottom read "For Treasuring Virtuous Works" and "Qianlong Imperial Brush". "For Treasuring Virtuous Works" marked items acquired by the imperial court as masterpieces of the era. "Qianlong Imperial Brush" certifies that the three-character title was written by the emperor. These six surrounding seals were core proof that this painting entered the Qing palace collection in the mid-Qianlong reign.
In 1767, the Imperial Workshop remounted this scroll and inscribed an outer label, completing its standard imperial mounting. The final form was then stored in the Three Rare Hall. After mounting, court paintings were not sealed away permanently. Emperors often opened them for viewing, evaluation and adding personal collection seals in different periods. After this formal mounting in 1767, Emperor Qianlong repeatedly opened and admired the scroll for decades. He added several important imperial seals in different life stages on the front spacer of the painting core: the "Five Generations Under One Roof, Ancient Rare Son of Heaven Seal" made in 1784, the "Octogenarian Longevity Seal" carved in 1790, and the "Supreme Emperor Seal" created in 1795. These three seals correspond to his family milestone of five generations living together, his 80th birthday, and his abdication as retired emperor respectively. All were added in batches after the imperial mounting. The repeated opening and re-sealing proves Qianlong cherished this scroll for nearly thirty years, admiring it from his middle age until his abdication. A round leisure seal "Ancient Rare Son of Heaven" is stamped on blank space of the landscape. Three catalog seals are arranged on the lower part of the painting: *Shiqu Baoji*, *Shiqu Dingjian*, and *Baoji Rebian*. They record the scroll was successively included in different editions of the imperial catalog *Shiqu Baoji*, reviewed and graded by the imperial court. The placement, types and grades of all seals strictly follow Qing palace collection standards.
Colophons at the tail preserve inscriptions from literati and connoisseurs of Yuan and Ming dynasties. The front section is a colophon by Bai Ting of Yuan Dynasty. Bai Ting maintained close contact with Zhao Mengfu. As a famous scholar and painting connoisseur in the Jiangnan region at that time, he commented on the painting from a contemporary perspective and testified its artistic excellence. The later section is a colophon by Zhu Zhifan, top scholar of Wanli reign in Ming Dynasty. He evaluated the painting’s spirit and form drawing on Xie He’s "Six Principles of Painting", with rigorous textual research and professional argumentation. It completes the full provenance of private collection handed down from Yuan to Ming.
Remounted by the Imperial Workshop in the 32nd year of Qianlong reign (1767 AD). The outer cover is woven silk with kylin and cloud patterns. A regular script label on the outer cover reads: "Authentic Masterpiece 'Le Linquan' by Zhao Mengfu, Dinghai 10th day of 5th month, Three Rare Hall". A small Qing court appraisal seal is attached to the label. The Three Rare Hall was a study in the Hall of Mental Cultivation, dedicated to storing top-tier imperial paintings and calligraphy. The label marked it as "Masterpiece", the official artistic grade given by the imperial court. The original imperial mounting is fully intact. From outside to inside: silk wrapper, top roller, imperial titled preface, front spacer, silk painting core, rear spacer, Yuan & Ming colophons, bottom roller. All mounting components are well-preserved with no record of disassembly or re-mounting.
Four precisely dated phases form the complete provenance chain: 1313 AD, creation by Zhao Mengfu; private collection and authentication by Yuan and Ming scholars; 1764 AD, imperial title inscribed by Qianlong; 1767 AD, remounted by the Imperial Workshop and collected into Three Rare Hall. Quantum dating supports all key milestones. The provenance from creation, private collection to imperial palace storage is fully closed and traceable. This scroll integrates Zhao Mengfu’s late green landscape artistic value, Yuan-Ming painting appraisal literature value and Qing imperial collection historical value. Grand in composition, with well-structured seal system and clear inherited provenance. It is an extremely rare imperial collected handscroll of green landscape with apes theme among surviving works of Zhao Mengfu, outstanding in preservation, collection history and documentary value.
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