Imitating Qian Tea Mountain Ink Landscape《仿钱茶山水墨山水图卷》

Bi Han (1732–1807)
Bi Han, courtesy name Youhan, and pseudonyms Jiaolu and Zhi’an Daoren, was from Yanghu (present-day Changzhou), Jiangsu. He excelled in landscape painting, adhering to ancient techniques while also learning from Yun Shouping and Wang Yuanqi, and was renowned for his dual excellence in painting and calligraphy. The Qing critic Wang Xuehao praised him, saying, “Recent paintings are either constrained by rules or overly free, both from not knowing ancient methods. Jiaolu’s natural talent and skill surpass contemporary trends, truly surpassing current practices,” showing immense admiration.

“Landscape Scroll” (1790)
This landscape scroll depicts the scenery of Jiangnan, with the artist’s fluid brushwork using dry ink for texture strokes and light shading, achieving an artistic effect of richness and clarity. From the inscriptions, it is known that Bi Han created this work after seeing Qian Weicheng’s long landscape scroll, following its general style. More than a decade later, at the age of seventy-four, he revisited and refined the painting, advising the owner to “preserve it well,” marking it as a cherished creation. The seamless integration of the two phases of painting is evident, and the scroll contains numerous inscriptions by notable figures, adding to its value.

毕涵（1732—1807），字有涵，号焦麓、止庵道人，阳湖（今江苏常州）人。善画山水，远宗古法，近师恽寿平、王原祁，与同里书法家钱伯坰以“书画双绝”并称于世。清人王学浩评说：“近人画，规矩失之拘滞，放纵失之杜撰，皆由不知古法。若焦麓禀质既高，工力亦胜，天真平淡，洵可压倒时流。”可谓推崇备至。

这幅山水卷画的是江南景色，画家运笔潇洒，用干墨皴擦，稍作渲染，景物疏朗有致，达到了浑厚华滋的艺术效果。从题跋可知，他是看到了钱维城的山水长卷而仿其大略。过了十多年之后，以七十四岁高龄重新提笔加工，并叮嘱持画人“当善藏之”，是他得意之作。前后两次绘制，毫无违和感，卷后名家题跋众多，弥足珍贵。

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