Bringing a lute to an immortal's pavilion 攜琴仙觀圖

Formerly attributed to Guo Zhongshu (傳)郭忠恕 (910-977) · 14th century

In the foreground, two men in scholar's robes accompanied by servants, each bearing his master's qin (zither, or lute), saunter across a rough wooden bridge. Their destination is apparently a pair of elaborate, two-storied pavilions built on the nearby lakeshore. Other scholars and servants can be glimpsed through the windows of the main pavilion, which stands on a stone foundation that extends into the water. Front and back sections of the pavilion are supported by ranks of sturdy pilings that rest on this foundation, while an intricate bracketing system carries the exquisitely decorated roofs of each story.