Gu Kaizhi’s Admonitions of the Nymph of the Luo River (Song Dynasty Copy)
The Palace Museum Collection | Accession Number: 00147329①
Masterpiece of Classical Chinese Narrative Painting
This handscroll painting illustrates Cao Zhi’s (192–232 CE) poetic masterpiece Ode to the Nymph of the Luo River from the Three Kingdoms period. The opening scene captures the moment when Cao Zhi encounters the divine nymph by the riverbank—her “shoulders like carved ivory, waist slender as silk,” appearing and vanishing mysteriously amidst swirling dragons and phoenixes.
The latter section depicts her departure on a six-dragon chariot accompanied by jade birds and mythical sea creatures, glancing back wistfully at the poet. The composition employs continuous narrative techniques, with recurring figures moving through landscapes rendered in the pre-Tang style where “figures dwarf mountains and waters show no ripples.”
Object Details
Period: Jin Dynasty (Song Dynasty copy)
Medium: Ink and color on silk
Dimensions: 572.8 × 27.1 cm
Collection: The Palace Museum, Beijing
Historical Significance
Though unsigned and lacking the original poem text, this work is identified as a Song Dynasty (960–1279 CE) copy through analysis of pigments, silk, and painting techniques. It preserves the essence of Six Dynasties (220–589 CE) artistry, traditionally attributed to Gu Kaizhi (c. 344–406 CE), the legendary figure often called the “father of classical Chinese painting.”
The scroll bears forged inscriptions attributed to Yuan Dynasty calligrapher Zhao Mengfu (1254–1322) and others, along with genuine colophons by Emperor Qianlong (1711–1799), who praised it as “Exquisite to the Tip of the Brush.” Imperial seals from the Ming and Qing dynasties, including those of the Qianlong, Jiaqing, and Xuantong emperors, attest to its status as a treasured palace collection piece.
Documentation
• Listed in Shiqu Baoji: Initial Compilation
• Recorded in Shiqu Essays
Researcher: Xu Zhongling
Related Publications
- Gu Kaizhi’s Admonitions of the Nymph of the Luo River Scroll (Chinese Classical Art Press)
- Gu Kaizhi’s Luoshen Fu Tu (multiple editions)
