Bamboo c. 1650

A native of Cang Xian in Hopei province, Dai Mingyue passed his national civil service exam in 1634, just ten years before the fall of the Ming dynasty. Although he and his father were both awarded imperial inksticks by the last Ming emperor, Dai went on to serve as president of the board of war in the subsequent Qing dynasty. He was well known for his literary accomplishments and remained an outstanding bamboo painter throughout his life. This elegant painting draws inspiration from past literati masters of bamboo ink painting, including Zhao Mengfu (1244-1322) and Wen Zhengming (1470-1559). With its Confucian connotations, bamboo painting had been favored by the literati since the Song dynasty (11th century). Representing the natural structure of stalks and leaves afforded artists unlimited opportunity to demonstrate their versatility in brush and ink. The large seal in the center of the painting was reserved for official and Daoist religious uses.