Magnolia, from an album of flower and rock arrangements in pots

Sun Kehong was a scholar-official who painted as a pastime. He is remembered for an intentionally plain style of brushwork that reflects antique elegance;  but he often used rich colors with decorative appeal. Sun cultivated a large garden in his retirement in which he was fond of displaying special stones and unusual potted plants--the subject of this album. Ming scholars considered both the raising of miniature trees and the collecting of rocks to be art forms.

The simplicity of Sun's compositions and their "awkwardness" is a studied sensibility shared by many Ming dynasty scholar-artists, who were more concerned with paintings as a forum for personal expression and revival of antique styles than with the ability to accurately imitate nature.

The last leaf in this album is dated by Sun to the "Wanli period (1573-1619)." A twentieth century collector who once owned this album suggested that the artist may have been tipsy when he painted it, or he would have written a precise year. Despite this conjecture, the album is sketchy and casual compared to other examples of Sun's works.