Traveling at dawn in the snowy foothills 《雪麓早行圖》

Attributed to Fan Qi 樊圻 (1616-ca. 1695) · 17th century

At right, a peasant with a load of firewood trudges across a low bridge in the direction of a private, walled estate, which is built on the river at the foot of a steep slope. Admiring the winter scene, two men engage in conversation in an upstairs window of the main building. Stretching off into high mountains, a nearby valley contains other structures, including an idle fishing rig with its net in the water. While snowscapes inherently lend themselves to visual drama in their use of contrasting colors and textures, the mood of this painting is still and serene. Architectural elements are crisply realized and skillfully set off against the softening effects of the snow and the light blue-and-green palette.