Chao Po-su (style name Hsi-yüan) excelled at painting landscape, figures, and especially ruled-line subjects. In the middle of this garden scene is a pavilion surrounded by hills. The elements of a quiet and peaceful courtyard abound, including a pine tree, small path, curved railings, pond, and accompanying trees, bamboo, and rocks. Under the pine stands an open pavilion, in which a scholar sits on a small daybed. At the rear window are two servant girls as two other servants bring tea utensils.Sets on the mat in the pavilion are a learning table and a small standing screen (also known as a “bed screen”), and behind is a large painted screen. The platform has scepter-shaped legs and a woven mat. In front of the platform is a high, narrow table with corner legs and double stretchers between the legs. On this table are books, scrolls, and a bottle, while two paintings can be viewed suspended on the wall. Some scholars believe that the style of this painting resembles that of Ch'iu Ying (ca. 1494-1552), but this must await further research . The furniture in this painting, however, is typical of the Sung dynasty.
Chao Po-su was a Southern Sung painter and the seventh-generation descendant of Emperor T'ai-tsu. He excelled at landscapes and figures, especially birds-and-flowers and ruled-line subjects.In this work is a building in a garden setting with ornamental rocks, craggy pines, and verdant bamboo. A scholar sits in the open building on a daybed in an elegant and leisurely manner. In the hall to the side stand two ladies. Two attendants are also engaged in conversation on a bridge in front of the garden. The one wearing white holds a tea dish with a black-lacquered tea saucer, tea bowl, and teapot as he heads for the building. Nothing is missing here from the four scholarly arts of leisure in the Sung-tea, painting, flowers, and incense.