Ni Tian was from Yangzhou in Jiangsu province, where as a painter he followed the eighteenth century Yangzhou eccentric, Hua Yan (1682-c.1756). He studied painting with Wang Su (1794-1877), where he specialized in figures and Buddhist images. After settling in Shanghai, he immersed himself in the Shanghai School, and was particularly influenced by its leading painter Ren Yi (1840-1896).
The inscription explains this painting is in the style of Nangong, also known as Mi Fu (1051-1107). The artist also notes ‘Zhao Danian [aka Zhao Lingrang (active c.1048-1100)] used to do it too’. Zhao Danian, also known as Zhao Lingrang, was a member of the Northern Song (AD 960-1127) imperial family, and is known for his blue-and-gold landscapes.
Vainker, Shelagh, Chinese Paintings in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford (Oxford: Ashmolean Museum, 2000), no. 104 on p. 122, illus. p. 123 fig. 104
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