石渠寶笈三編(延春閣),第五冊,頁2208&*故宮書畫錄(卷五),第三冊,頁537&*故宮書畫圖錄,第十冊,頁243-244&*吳歷(一六三一-一七一八),江蘇常熟人,字漁山,號墨井道人。工繪事,壯年受業於王時敏、王鑑,其畫出入宋元,名埒其師,世稱四王吳惲。吳墨井畫,好作重山疊嶂,以茂密蒼鬱勝。王石谷以為吳畫深入黃鶴山樵之室,此幀則仿梅花道人,用墨甚澹,涉筆踈秀,覺莽莽山林之氣,在微嵐薄靄之中。昔人每譏沙彌墨重,墨井其或有意出之淺淡歟。&* Wu Li (style name; Yü-shan, and sobriquet; Mo-ching tao-jen [Taoist of the Ink Well]) was a native of Ch’ang-shu, Kiangsu. Wu Li studied painting as an adult with Wang Shih-min (1592-1680) and Wang Chien (1598-1677). His style evolved from that of Sung (960-1279) and Yüan (1279-1368) dynasty masters, and his fame equalled that of his teachers. Wu Li’s name is usually mentioned together with the Four Wangs and Yun Shou-p’ing (1633-90). In his paintings, Wu Li was found of depicting a large mountain with serried peaks. Wang Hui (1632-1717) considered Wu Li to be deeply influenced by the Yüan dynasty master, Wang Meng (ca. 1309-85), but this work was done after the style of Wu Chen (1280-1354). His use of ink is very profound and his brushwork sparse and elegant, thus imparting the atmosphere of a dense forest and in a thin mist. Since Wu Chen’s work had been criticized for his use of heavy ink, Wu Li purposely used slightly diluted ink here.