Birds Gathering at a Secluded Spring《幽泉聚禽图轴》

Lü Ji was an artist of great talent, born in 1477 in Ningbo, Zhejiang Province, China. He was known by his courtesy name Tingzhen and his nickname Leyu. Lu Ji served as an official in the command of Jin Yiwei and was renowned for his skill in painting flowers and birds. He received his education under Bian Jingzhao and attended the Academy of the Southern Song Dynasty. His paintings often featured a variety of eye-catching birds and flowers, including phoenixes, cranes, peacocks, and mandarin ducks, which were popular in ancient times.

Lü Ji was famous for his ability to use meticulous outlines and ink freehand brushwork, and he was regarded as one of the most prominent artists of the flower-and-bird painting school in the Ming Dynasty. His paintings were characterized by exquisite, vivid, and colorful depictions of birds, flowers, and plants, while trees, rocks, and streams served as the backdrop. Lü Ji’s brushwork was crisp and ink-moist, and his bird paintings were particularly noteworthy for their fine brushwork and heavy colors.

“The Picture of Ghost Birds in the Ming Dynasty,” discussed here, features an inscription by the collector Zhang Changbo, who describes it as a divine product and one of his prized possessions. The painting is also adorned with two seals: “Seal of Zhengxiao” and “Zhang’s Changbo.”

吕纪，生于1477年，卒年不详。字廷振，号乐愚，浙江宁波人。官至锦衣卫指挥。擅画花鸟，近学边景昭，远师南宋院体。常绘凤凰、仙鹤、孔雀、鸳鸯之类，杂以花树，古艳夺目，工笔勾勒与水墨写意俱能。与林良齐名天下。为明代院体花鸟画派代表作家之一。
 此画禽鸟花草，精巧生动，绚丽多姿；树石、溪水衬景，笔爽墨润，尤禽鸟以工笔重彩，描绘精细。全画工整浓艳，神采耀目。画右上装裱处有收藏家张昌伯题，“明吕纪《幽禽图》，神品，昌伯珍藏。”钤白文“正孝之印”，朱文“张氏昌伯”二印。