A Thousand Peaks and Myriad Ravines – Chu-tsing Li [2 vols] 1974

Chu-tsing Li’s A Thousand Peaks and Myriad Ravines, published in 1974 by Artibus Asiae, stands as a monumental scholarly catalogue documenting the remarkable collection of Chinese paintings assembled by Charles A. Drenowatz. This two-volume work represents a meticulous study of paintings spanning primarily the Ming and Qing dynasties, offering readers an unprecedented window into the world of later Chinese pictorial art.

The publication is structured as a comprehensive two-volume set, with the first volume containing the scholarly text and the second volume dedicated entirely to plates. The work extends to approximately 319 pages of text accompanied by fifty-five leaves of plates, many reproduced in color, all presented in an oversized format measuring thirty-two centimeters, befitting the visual nature of the subject matter. The plate volume includes 109 illustrations that showcase the breadth and quality of the Drenowatz Collection.

Li’s approach to the material is both rigorous and illuminating. Rather than merely cataloguing the paintings, he devotes careful attention to the circumstances surrounding the creation of each work, including biographical information about the artists, the geographical and cultural contexts in which they worked, and the historical and literary backgrounds that informed their creations. He also provides translations and analysis of poems and colophons added by artists and subsequent connoisseurs, treating each painting as a layered document of cultural history.

The collection itself, through Li’s sensitive reading, reveals an underlying unity despite its diversity of styles and subjects. The paintings collectively present the image of the Chinese painter as a scholar-poet-gentleman, a figure deeply connected to nature through visits to famous mountains and rivers, engaged in literary gatherings with like-minded souls, and navigating a world of both joys and sorrows. This thematic coherence transforms the catalogue from a simple inventory into a profound meditation on the scholarly ideal in Chinese visual culture.

As the thirtieth supplement to the esteemed Artibus Asiae journal series, this publication includes a comprehensive bibliography and indexes, making it an essential reference for scholars of Chinese painting. The work remains a testament to Li’s erudition and his ability to convey the richness of Chinese pictorial art to Western audiences.