Traveling in the Cold Mountains (after Yang Jing)

While this painting bears a signature and seal of "Yang Jin," it cannot be conclusively attributed to this eighteenth-century artist. One compelling piece of evidence in the case against this painting has been the existence of a nearly identical scroll in a private American collection. From the overall compositional format to the contours of the mountain peaks and rhythmic placement of the dots, the similarities in composition between the two are remarkable. While it was not unheard of for an artist of this period to create several versions of a successful composition, the resemblance between these two paintings is uncanny and suggests that one was made as a direct copy of the other. The question remains, which one is the original and which one is the copy? The evidence for this decision rests in the inscription, which reads:

In the jiawu year [1714] on a winter day Yan Jin of the Western Pavilion [xiting] wrote this at Ancient Pine Study.

While the Smart painting is thus dated to 1714, the other painting bears a date of 1724. This later date is more consistent with Yang Jin’s stylistic development. Furthermore, the signature and handwriting on the Smart scroll are inconsistence with other known examples: it lacks the upward slant typical of Yang Jin’s calligraphy and is further embellished with curls not seen in Yang’s attested handwriting. Armed with this evidence, it is probably that the Smart painting was a copy by another artist made and intended for the art market.