Buddha’s Hand Citron

Created after Bada Shanren had left the monkhood and become a professional artist, these four leaves (F1998.56.1 thru F1998.56.4) originally belonged to a larger album of similar ink sketches. Both style and subject matter are typical of his small-scale works during the late 1680s and early 1690s. Each object stands out boldly on the otherwise empty white paper, and the drawing is simple and straightforward, but Bada's brushwork and skillful use of ink achieve a wide range of tonal effects, from wet and light to heavy and dark.

An unusual term, sheshi, meaning "involved in affairs," serves as a primary compositional element in the leaf, showing a falling ink-flower, and appears in either Bada's signature or seals on two of the three remaining leaves. Bada used this term exclusively during the period between 1690 and 1693, when he was completely "involved" in perfecting his painting technique. Despite their outward simplicity, these four unassuming album leaves illustrate Bada's audacious approach to composition as well as his abiding concern with ink tonality and the visual possibilities of calligraphic brushwork in painting.