石渠寶笈初編(御書房),下冊,頁1144&*故宮書畫錄(卷五),第三冊,頁441&*故宮書畫圖錄,第八冊,頁201-202 &*1.王耀庭,〈周之冕花竹鵪鶉〉,收入國立故宮博物院編輯委員會編,《草蟲畫特展圖錄》(臺北:國立故宮博物院,1986年初版),頁69。 &* 周之冕(西元一五四二-一六○六年),江蘇長洲人,字服卿,號少谷。書工古隸。善畫花鳥,家中蓄養各種禽鳥,能詳細觀察飲啄飛止的動作,因此用筆很有生意。 瘦長的畫幅,主景放置在幅右,秋日?,石上幾株綠竹,間雜著嬌媚的蜀葵、牽牛花。石下一對鵪鶉,臨風處有一隻大鳳蝶飛來。整幅畫充滿著婀娜明艷的光輝。題句多,亦足以讓人詩畫共賞。 &*Quails, Flowers, and Bamboo Chou Chih-min (ca. 1542-1606) Ming Dynasty Chou Chih-mien (style name Fu-ch’ing and sobriquet Shao-ku) was a native of Ch’ang-shu, Kiangsu. He was a skilled calligrapher in the ancient clerical script and an excellent painter of birds-and-flowers. He is known to have raised many different birds at home in order to study their behavior and movements as reference for his paintings. As a result, his bird-and-flower paintings are remarkably lifelike. The motifs in this painting are placed in the right part of this tall, narrow hanging scroll. On an autumn day, a few spray of green bamboo are seen growing with gorgeous hollyhocks and morning glories on the rock. A pair of quails is standing under the rock and a butterfly flutters towards the blossoms. The painting is full of grace, brightness and charm. The numerous colophons on the left side of the painting offer a poetic dimension of appreciation for the viewer.