Wilson Shieh, a Hong Kong artist born in 1970, is to a large extent a figure painter in the traditional mode. His paintings are executed in ink and colours on silk against a plain ground and with meticulous brushwork, yet they are far from traditional in style. In this series he has depicted naked figures alongside ceramic vessels and models from different historical periods ranging from around 200 BC until the late 1700s.
The leaf-shaped boat here is a depiction of a Song dynasty (AD 960-1279) ceramic type associated with the Ge kilns, famous for its crackled glaze, which here extends to the figure’s shirt. A leaf of this type is displayed in the table case in the gallery China from AD 800 [EA1956.3957].
glaze
Vitreous coating applied to the surface of a ceramic to make it impermeable or for decorative effect.
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