There were the likes of Dong Baode, the Military Governor's Bailiff and Supervisor of Painting, modest and gen…
There were the likes of Dong Baode, the Military Governor's Bailiff and Supervisor of Painting, modest and gentle in their aspirations, temperate and refined in their hearts. Upholding the pure integrity of gentlemen and harboring the noble discipline of the virtuous, their painting and coloring became ever more marvelous, their inkwork rare and wondrous. Their brushwork approached that of Zhang Sengyao, and their brush momentum was close to that of the Cao family. They painted flies as if alive; their Buddha murals wonderfully surpassed past masters; their figures were lifelike, their sacred assemblies elegantly transcended later sages. Moreover, they roughly understood the scriptures, excelled in both rites and music, truly being fine craftsmen of their generation, heroes fit for an enlightened age.