Chang Ch'eng-lung, active late 16th-early 17th century. Towering Mountains and Fantastic Waterfalls. China, Asia, 16th-17th century, c. 1600 . Ink and colors on silk, 73 7/8 x 24 7/16 in. (187.64 x 62.07 cm) (image) 113 13/16 x 31 7/8 in. (289.08 x 80.96 cm) (without roller) Minneapolis Institute of Arts. Gift of Ruth and Bruce Dayton, 2008.26.2

Cheng Hsieh (Artist). Bamboo and Rocks. China, Ch'ing dynasty, c.1760. Peinture, Ink on paper, 67 7/8 x 39 1/8 in. (172.4 x 99.38 cm) (image) Minneapolis Institute of Arts. Gift of Ruth and Bruce Dayton, 95.54.2 ©The Minneapolis Institute of Arts. Photographe : Photography ©The Minneapolis Institute of Arts

Cheng Hsieh was born in Hsing-hua near Yang-chou. Although his family lived in genteel poverty, Cheng was a good student and passed the highest government exams in 1736. He studied and produced poetry, calligraphy, and Peinture while ably serving as district magistrate in Shantung province. Undisciplined, outspoken, and passionate about public service, Cheng resigned in frustration in 1753 and established himself as a distinctive member of the group known as the Eight Eccentrics of Yang-chou. He is best known as an artist who closely integrated calligraphy with orchid and bamboo paintings. His poem reads:

Bamboo and rock stand paired alone in harmony;

The multitudes of plants and flowers are in vain;

Spring, summer and autumn cannot transform them.

Only the elegant plum has greater virtue.

Wooden Bridge Cheng Hsi

Su Jen-shan, 1814 - 1850. The Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove. China, Asia, 19th century, c. 1840. Ink on paper, 55 1/2 x 32 1/8 in. (140.97 x 81.6 cm) (image) 89 3/8 x 40 1/4 in. (227.01 x 102.24 cm) (without roller). Minneapolis Institute of Arts. Gift of Ruth and Bruce Dayton, 2008.26.3