Picture scroll of Li Song’s salesman

[Li Song’s picture of a salesman]

The picture of a salesman, written by Li Song in the Southern Song Dynasty, is printed in silk and colored, 25.5cm in length and 70.4cm in width
The title of this painting is: “The painting of Li Congshun, a male songwriter in Xinwei, Jiading.” There is also a seven-character poem inscribed by Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty
This is a picture of people’s customs. On the picture, the peddler carries the groceries on his shoulders, bends over, and the jubilant children run around telling each other. The joy is beyond expression. There are many items on the cargo, from pots and pans, children’s toys to melon and fruit cakes. In the Southern Song Dynasty, when the circulation of goods was not developed enough, the salesmen walked through the streets, and a load of goods was a small department store. The salesmen not only brought the goods needed for the remote countryside, but also brought all kinds of new news. The traffic of the salesmen was as lively as a festival. Li Song described such a scene in the picture. With the help of the theme of the peddler, the painter represents one side of the life of the Southern Song Dynasty. Although there are many dazzling objects whose uses are unknown today, they actually record the life style of the people in the Southern Song Dynasty, which is a rare historical material for folklorists
The portrayal of the characters in the picture mainly depends on the line drawing, and the fine and beautiful strokes are supplemented by the elegant colors, making the picture simple and calm. The dynamic of the characters is distinct, without any similarity, which shows the artist’s realistic skills. The complex and untidy goods are meticulously painted, which shows Li Song’s skill of “painting in the long world”
The first edition of Shiqu Treasure Collection.