Tiger Hill
Lu Zhi Chinese
Calligrapher Xu Weiren Chinese
Artists in sixteenth-century Suzhou often painted the scenic sites of their hometown. Such paintings were intended to celebrate the beauty of Suzhou—it was then, as now, one of the most beautiful cities in the world—but also to highlight the layers of historical and religious significance that made these places famous. This intimate painting depicts Tiger Hill, a destination northwest of the city that was the frequent subject of poems and paintings by local literati who traveled there in search of inspiration and relaxation. Lu Zhi, one of the leading scholar-painters of his day, used his signature technique of layering angular brushstrokes to build up mountain forms, creating an almost cubist effect. The long colophon is a set of poems about Tiger Hill by the Song-dynasty poet Jiang Tang (980–1054), here transcribed by the scholar Xu Weiren (1788–1855).
