A Copy of Peace Reigns over River , a Mi n g Dynasty(1368?1644) hand scroll by Qiu Ying, ink and color on silk, 31cm×987cm, in the collection of the Liaoning Provincial Museum, Shenyang.
Qiu Ying(ca.1502?1552), a famous painter in the Ming Dynasty, had a wide range of artistic works. He liked to draw landscapes, pavilions, carriages, boats, and characters in particular. He was proficient at meticulous brushwork, freehand and line drawing, while his paintings,with neat painting approach and gorgeous colors, set a different style from others. Wen Zhengming, Tang Yin,Shen Zhou and Qiu Ying were acclaimed as “Four Great Painters in the Ming Dynasty.” Qiu Ying was also one of “Four Great Painters of Wumen School.” After Song Dynasty painter Zhang Zeduan created Peace Reigns over River, many people reproduced it in facsimile. Zhang Zeduan drew the scene of Bianliang(now Kaifeng), but Qiu Ying’s work is based on Suzhou. In addition, Qiu Ying uses techniques of meticulous brushwork and strong coloring in this painting.