Page from the Mustard Seed Garden Manual of Painting 1679

This page from the *Mustard Seed Garden Manual of Painting*, a seminal work of Chinese art theory and instruction, was created by Wang Gai in 1679. The manual’s illustrated pages teach different techniques for representing various natural elements. Here, the artist illustrates the methods for rendering mountains and the sky using a combination of brushstrokes and washes. The page is comprised of Chinese characters that act as an inscription, offering further instructions for achieving a visually stunning landscape painting.