Famille Verte - exhibitions international

Scene 4 (Book 1). Zhang, seated, asks permission to
stay. The abbot is seated opposite him, a monk enters,
holding a tray with cups.
Scene 7 (Book 2). Sun Biao, the leader of rebellious
troops, has been informed that a beautiful young
maiden resides in the monastery. He leads his soldiers
in a siege and announces that he will attack unless
she is given to him.
Scene 10 (Book 3). Du Que and Huiming chase the
rebel Sun Biao. There was not enough room in this
panel to depict the two clashing armies as well.
Scene 5 (Book 1). Zhang recites a love poem in the
garden, holding a fan. Yingying and Hongniang listen
from behind a wall. They are difficult to distinguish
because the colour of their dresses is different from
those in other scenes.
Scene 8 (Book 2). Zhang has given the fighting monk
Huiming (with a stick) a letter asking General Du Que
for help against the rebellious troops before leaving.
The abbot (in green in this panel) stands behind them.
The episodes in which the threat was announced
followed by a defensive fight that was to no avail,
have been omitted here.
Scene 11 (Book 3). Hongniang addresses Zhang who
has withdrawn to his room after Mrs Cui rejected him
as a fiancé. Hongniang tells him that she will help
him to win Yingying’s heart. The wall is used to divide
the depiction into an interior and exterior so that it
resembles a scene from a theatrical stage.
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Scene 6 (Book 1). Zhang, standing behind a table
with a red candle, attends the memorial service for
Mr Cui in the temple (left, in green). The praying
abbot stands in front of the table; Huanlang (in blue)
is behind him. Yingying holds her sleeve in front of
her face in the traditional gesture of weeping. Three
monks make music, one beating a drum on a stand,
another playing a flute.
Scene 9 (Book 2). The monk, kneeling, delivers the
letter to the general. Du Que stands in front of a
screen; a military tent can be seen at left.
Scene 12 (Book 3). Hongniang pulls at Zhang’s sleeve
and takes him outside to play the zither for Yingying.
The small figure carrying the zither is the servant girl,
although the painter did not succeed in depicting that
long musical instrument which is one of a scholar’s
prized possessions. Perhaps he was unfamiliar with it
in the (printed?) model he used.