This book is an account of Chinese painting by a leader scholar in Chinese art history, Professor Max Loehr. The product of an experience and understanding acquired in a lifetime, this book is one of the classics of the subject.

The book charts the rise of pictorial art, from the Six Dynasties to the Ch'ing Dynasty, highlighting the works of masters and also the wealth of literature written about art during that time.

One never finishes a book like this; it is one of great resources that will always sit at arm's length from anyone seriously interested in the art of China. Professor Max Loehr was one of the leading scholars in the field. This work is a classic. There are many newer works on the subject--readable and excellent--but this volume remains the classic work. As the jacket reads "There is no book to match the scope and detail of this volume".

Younger readers may need a Wade-Giles/Pinyin glossary to help them convert the artists' names into modern Pinyin (for example, Wu Tao-tzu = Wu Daozi). ( )