Artists › Painters and Calligraphers
Wang Shen
Northern Song painter and imperial son-in-law, a friend of Su Shi who was demoted in the 1079 poetry case
A desk holds an unrolled sheet bearing three bold black ink strokes, with a rack of many brushes above it, a stone ink slab and ink stick, a porcelain bowl, a red lacquer box, a dish of red seal paste and a paperweight; a small seated figure shows through a round window onto bamboo.
Also known as Zi Jinqing
Wang Shen, courtesy name Jinqing, was from Taiyuan and lived in Kaifeng; a descendant of the founding general Wang Quanbin, he married Princess of Shu, daughter of Emperor Yingzong, and became an imperial son-in-law with the rank of commandant-escort. In his Baohui Hall he kept a collection of calligraphy and painting, and he moved in the circle of Su Shi, Mi Fu and Li Gonglin. When Su Shi was tried for his poems in 1079, Wang was demoted for his ties to him, and after the princess died he was sent down again to Junzhou; he was recalled when Emperor Zhezong came to the throne. His landscapes follow Li Cheng, and he also painted in blue-green and gold. Fishing Village under Light Snow is in the Palace Museum, Beijing, and Layered Hills over a Misty River is in the Shanghai Museum.
Life and times
Dates c. 1048–c. 1104 CE