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The Discovery of "Chess Game abut of Screen(Chong Ping Hui Qi Tu)"
Painting by Zhou Wenju of Five Dynasties

Zhou Wenju, a Five Dynasties, court painter from Jiangsu province, China served under Southern Tang Dynasty emperor Li Yu. He was known for his landscape, figure, vehicles, horses and architecture paintings. Emperor Li often summoned him together with fellow painter, Gu Hongzhong to the palace to record banquets, nightlife. Unfortunately, only some of Gu's paintings survived.

An unique feature of Zhou Wenju's painting was his fibrillation pen techniques which was also a favorite of emperor Li, but which history could not trace its origin. "Chess Game abut of Screen (Chong Ping Hui Qi Tu)" has been a national treasure in the Forbidden Palace. Critics had appraised it as a copy from later, probably Song Dynasty. Xu Bangda also affirmed the findings by historical documentation. Prominent artists, emperors and collectors of Song Dynasty like Guo Ruoxu (Tu Hua Jian Wen Zhi), Emperor Hui Zong (Xuan He Hua Pu), Emperor Ming Qing (Hui Chen Lu), Ming Chendu, Wen Zhengming, Qing Huhe and many others had all concurred. In the book "Qing Xi Zha Ji" by Hu Jing, it described the original "Chess Game abut of Screen (Chong Ping Hui Qi Tu)"as a color painting on silk, with no seal mark except emperor Hui Zong's calligraphy. Nevertheless, emperor's Zong's inscription of "authentic work of Chong Ping Hui Qi Tu by Zhou Wenju" which would authenticate it, is missing. Thereby judging it as an imitated copy.



When I compared this with my Shi Yang Tang collection, I found that it was actually a "Tian Shui" copy drew by Song emperor Zong. These are the findings: First, During Northern Song period the emperor had absolute power and rule the kingdom, so the original "Chess Game abut of Screen (Chong Ping Hui Qi Tu)" could only be possessed by the emperor himself. No one else would have the opportunity to imitate it. Second, the emperor had always enjoyed imitating master's works from previous dynasties. That was why the " Tian Shui" imitated paintings became so famous. As a brilliant painter, the emperor liked to transfer his own opinions and ideas into paintings. For example, in the original version of "Chess Game abut of Screen (Chong Ping Hui Qi Tu)", Zhou Wenju used single lines to draw the furniture; compare to Hui Zong's double lines. In this way, the furniture looked more vivid and heavy; also added a perspective feeling to the work. Besides, he scripted four different inscriptions among the four corners of the painting, to demonstrate his fondness. This was a very rare occasion among other "Tian Shui" pieces. In this case, I believe the "Chess Game abut of Screen (Chong Ping Hui Qi Tu)" in Beijing was a work by Song emperor Zong. However, I will leave the final judgment to later ages. Starting 2016, Shi Yang Tang, the oversea Forbidden Palace, will unveil its long-lost national treasures including the original "Chess Game abut of Screen (Chong Ping Hui Qi Tu)" with Song emperor Zong's inscription.

The original "Chess Game abut of Screen (Chong Ping Hui Qi Tu)" is a rectangle silk painting, not long scroll. Inches away from the boy figure on the canvas, vividly the ten elegant and stylish characters inscribed by emperor Zong-"authentic work of Chong Ping Hui Qi Tu by Zhou Wenju", with his seal mark. There is also emperor Gao Zong's stamp "Feng Hua Tang Yin" on the top right corner, Jia Sidao's stamp"Shen Sheng" next to it, and Qing emperor Qian Long's inscriptions on left. These dedications told the history and details about obtaining this painting, with Qian Long's stamps "Da Qing Qian Long Yu Lan" around it.

On the top left corner there's a long stamp named "Zheng He", and lower left corner has emperor Gao Zong's stamp "Nei Fu Shu Yin". In addition, there's a colophon attached to the left side frame, Zhang Chou wrote it from Ming Dynasty. By displaying our prestige Chinese treasures, Kwong Lam of "Shi Yang Tang" is contributing to our profound and far-reaching Chinese cultural and civilization.

Note: "Tian Shui"means the emperor Hui Zong of Song Dynasty's family was originally from "Tian Shui" area. "Tian Shui" paintings refer to the works imitated by Song Hui Zong himself.