Mustard Seed Garden Manual of Painting: Orchid Manual

In early spring, we gathered the craftsmen at a temple lodging in Moling Modern-day Nanjing.. By the time the autumn chrysanthemums had faded and the plum blossoms on the ridges began to open, the four seasons had passed, and the book was complete. Our true intentions are carved into these very blocks; through printing, our insights are transmitted. We did not shy away from any hardship; let those who understand judge our work.

The Masters Wang Yunan and 諸諸曦菴 Zhu Xianan are renowned elders from Wulin Modern-day Hangzhou.. When they heard the request for the second collection of the Manual, though both gentlemen were already silver-haired, they happily accepted the task. It took three years to complete. The two categories of Orchids and Bamboo were both the work of Master Xianan, with Master Yunan assisting him. Master Yunan is especially skilled in painting flowers and plants, his reputation being the finest in the Liangzhe The region comprising modern Zhejiang and southern Jiangsu. region. Thus, the volume on flowers and plants was solely the work of Master Yunan.

In the past, my late father, Lord Yunjiang, loved to plant plum trees. To this day, over a hundred trees remain in the small garden of the Baoqing Pavilion Embracing Green Pavilion.. My late uncle, Lord Yinggen, loved to cultivate chrysanthemums. Whenever the flowers were in bloom, spectators would gather like a wall to see them. Master Yunan shared these passions.

Whenever these two flowers were in bloom, he would brave the frost and tread through the snow, arriving at dawn and returning only in the middle of the night. He used to say that the spirit of a flower is never more wonderful than when it is "catching the dew in the morning breeze" or "shrouded in mist under a pale moon." Because of this, Master Yunan was perfectly at ease painting the Plum and the Chrysanthemum, and he created one volume for each. It has now been over ten years since these two worthy gentlemen returned to the Mountain of the Way An elegant euphemism for death..

I, Youzheng, have been compiling these paintings and writings for eighteen years. People across the land have long awaited the completion of this book, and their desire has only grown more urgent. I therefore wished to set a date for it to be sent to the printers. Previously, the first collection of the Manual of Painting was edited and modeled after the ancients by my old friend Wang Anjie. For this collection, I again entrusted the work to Anjie and his brothers. Out of regard for our long-standing family friendship, they happily agreed. At that time, his younger brother, Micao, had just returned from the Chu The region of modern Hubei and Hunan provinces. region and joined in assisting the project. In total, there were over two hundred and twenty leaves Individual pages of illustrations. of Orchids, Bamboo, Plums, and Chrysanthemums. Micao deleted half of those that could be removed, and added those that were essential...