石渠寶笈續編(重華宮),第三冊,頁1503&*故宮書畫錄(卷四),第二冊,頁15&*故宮書畫圖錄,第十五冊,頁127-130&*唐明皇(玄宗)對方伎嬉戲之事很有興趣,如擊掬、鬥雞、?奕、按樂,莫不精甚。本幅繪明皇座前置?局,其上空無一子,而優伶拱手而立,好像有話要說,大概是描寫優人向皇帝進諫的故事。畫無名款,舊傳周文矩畫,並有南宋高宗藏印。按周文矩(活動於西元十世紀),建康句容(今南京)人。是南唐李後主朝的宮廷畫家,擅長人物畫與仕女畫,風格近似唐代的周昉,能得閨閣之態。&*The Ming-huang emperor (Hsüan-tsung) of the T'ang was fond of popular forms of entertainment, such as kickball, cock fighting, chess, and music. Here, he is shown at a game of chess but without a single piece on the board. Judging from the figure with hands clasped who appears as if with something to say, the emperor is probably being advised on some matter of importance. With neither signature nor seal of the artist, this work has been attributed to Chou Wen-chü. It bears a seal of the Sung emperor Kao-tsung. Chou was a court artist under Li Hou-chu of the Southern T'ang known for his paintings of figures, especially ladies. His style was similar to that of the T'ang artist Chou Fang, depicting ladies of the inner court.