Imperial Edition of the Complete Library in Four Sections: Xuanhe Painting Manual

The Guimao 1123 year was three years after the Gengzi 1120 year. Presumably, the two manuals of calligraphy and painting were compiled based on that list at the time. Emperor Huizong was naturally skilled in painting, and Mi Fu was known for his sharp connoisseurship; therefore, the records of the collectors were treated as evidence, unlike the Bogutu Illustrated Antiquities compiled by Wang Fu and others, which were prone to errors. The items also claim that among the ancient paintings kept in the imperial store, the most supreme works were: first, Cao Buxing’s Yuan Nü Shou Huangdi Bingfu Tu Painting of the Primordial Woman Receiving the Yellow Emperor’s Military Talisman; second, Cao Mao’s Bian Zhuangzi Ci Hu Tu Painting of Bian Zhuangzi Stabbing the Tiger; and third, Xie Zhi’s Lienü Zhenjie Tu Painting of Virtuous Women. The others, starting from Gu [Kaizhi], Lu [Tanwei], and Sengyou, are arranged differently from the current version. This is likely because, at the time the manual was compiled...