Artists › Painters and Calligraphers
Hu Gui
Late Tang and Five Dynasties painter from the northern frontier, said by some to be Khitan, known for horses and nomad life beyond the passes
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 Hu Gui (variant writing)
Hu Gui came from Fanyang, around modern Zhuozhou in Hebei, and some sources say he was Khitan; he was active in the late Tang and Five Dynasties. Guo Ruoxu's Experiences in Painting says he excelled at horses of the northern peoples, drawn with clean, strong brushwork, and depicted felt tents, utensils and hunting scenes with great precision, using a fine wolf-hair brush for manes, tails and fur clothing; his son Hu Qian painted in the same manner. Resting Riders, a handscroll in the Palace Museum, Beijing, showing Khitan nobles feasting after a hunt, is attributed to him.
Life and times
Dates Dates unknown; active in the late Tang and Five Dynasties