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Palaces and Pavilions: Grand Architecture in Chinese Painting

September 29, 2002 - March 30, 2003

Museum: Freer Gallery of Art

Location: Gallery 13

Rarely shown scrolls, album leaves, and 3-dimensional objects dating from the 2nd century c.e. to the 19th century illustrate how real imperial structures and mythical Daoist palaces have been pictured over the centuries in Chinese art. Many of the works that are on view were meticulously painted in bright colors on silk. Other paintings are in monochrome ink using either the free-hand linear (baimiao) style or the intricate ruled line (jiehua) method that relies on a ruler and a compass. Also on view is a large calligraphic hanging scroll that includes a poem comparing the Tang imperial capital to a palace in the Daoist paradise of Penglai.