Open full image Pin

A Hunt in the Mountains of Heaven

Unknown

1650

ink

paper

From the collection of Art Institute of Chicago

Baroque Ming Painting Baroque Landscape

Dominant colour

A Hunt in the Mountains of Heaven is a 1650 ink by Unknown, a Baroque work, held at Art Institute of Chicago.

Who painted this?: Unknown
When & what style?: 1650 · Baroque
Where can I see it?: Art Institute of Chicago

About this work

You see a long, narrow scroll unrolling across mountain peaks where tiny hunters and dogs chase deer through misty forests. The artist used ink so lightly that the paper almost glows, making the peaks feel like they’re floating. It’s rare to see a hunt scene this high up—most Chinese landscapes show scholars, not hunters. To see how other artists layered ink to create depth, look up the technique cross-hatching.

The story of this work

Publication history

Clarissa von Spee, "Visiting Steles: Variations on a Painting Theme," Shane McCausland and Yin Hwang, On Telling Images of China: Essays in Narrative Painting and Visual Culture (Hong Kong U Press, 2014), pp. 228-230, Fig. 7.8.

Read the full account in the museum source.