Chinese Drawing Technique: Butterflies in Spring Silk Art

Butterflies Playing in Spring by the Imperial Palace Museum

Silk album leaf, vertical 23.7cm, horizontal 25.3cm

This painting has no signature. It has a half-seal, but the inscription is blurred and unidentifiable. It was originally part of the "Selected Paintings from Four Dynasties" album, with an old label attributing it to "Li Anzhong." The mounting border has seals that read "Treasure of the Supreme Emperor" and "Treasure of the Octagonal Pavilion."

The painting shows 15 butterflies, including elegant swallowtails and delicate, plain whites, along with 1 wasp. Some butterflies have their wings spread flat, while others flutter in flight. Under the bright spring light, they look like beautiful clusters of flowers blooming across the sky, vividly capturing the theme of "butterflies at play." In depicting the wasp and butterflies, the outlines and colors blend seamlessly. First, extremely fine and light lines are used to draw the outlines, and then colors are applied "according to their kind." This involves layering colors like powdery white and earthy yellow, or filling heavy colors within the ink lines. The shading is meticulous, and the colors are rich, showcasing the splendid beauty of the butterfly wings.

On the opposite page, there is a seven-character poem inscribed by Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty, which reads: "Tiny creatures flutter high and low, the spring garden is already thriving. Tested in the Xuanhe Painting Academy, why were they not immediately chosen to follow the horses' hooves?" It bears seals such as "Treasure of the Octagonal Pavilion" and "Self-Improvement Never Ceases."