Verse meets brush in timeless dialogue

As a queue winds patiently through the museum's hall, a question ripples through the crowd:"Which one is Lady Guoguo?"

This debate is sparked by a rare display of a Song Dynasty (960-1279) replica of Lady Guoguo's Spring Outing, offering a vivid glimpse into the dazzling world of the powerful family of the Tang Dynasty (618-907).

The original work, by Tang court painter Zhang Xuan, is lost to time, making this meticulous copy a priceless portal to the dynasty's glorious peak and aesthetics.

Lady Guoguo was an elder sister of Yang Yuhuan, the most beloved consort of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty.

This silk scroll painting depicts a grand procession of nine figures and eight horses. Accompanied by attendants, noblewomen are dressed in opulent attire, with characteristically round Tang-era faces and elaborate hairstyles. They ride tall, robust and well-groomed horses adorned with distinctive ornaments.

The treasured painting belongs to the Liaoning Provincial Museum, in Shenyang, Liaoning province, where it was last exhibited from October 2019 to early January 2020.

It's now among the 115 pieces/sets (210 individual pieces) of paintings and calligraphy on display in the ongoing exhibition, China in Poetry and Painting: The Poetic Realm of Chinese Painting.

Hosted by the Liaoning Provincial Museum, the exhibition until March 29, is organized in partnership with 10 museums across the country including the National Museum of China and the Shanghai Museum.