Wen Tong
Illustration — Bamboo in Monochrome Ink. National Palace Museum, Taiwan Wen Tong (1019–1079) was a Northern Song painter born in Sichuan famous for his ink bamboo paintings. He was one of the paragons of "scholar's painting" (shi ren hua), which idealised spontaneity and painting without financial reward.
Also recorded as Shishi Xiansheng Yu-k'o · Xiaoxiao xiansheng · Wen Huzhou · Chin-chiang Tao-jen
Wen Tong
Wen Tong · This file was donated to Wikimedia Commons as part of a project by the Metropolitan Museum of Art. See the Image and Data Resources Open Access Policy · CC0
- Died
- 1079. · Huzhou.
- Nationality
- Song dynasty.
- Occupation
- painter, poet and historian.
- Languages
- Chinese.
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Documentary summary
Illustration — Bamboo in Monochrome Ink. National Palace Museum, Taiwan Wen Tong (1019–1079) was a Northern Song painter born in Sichuan famous for his ink bamboo paintings. He was one of the paragons of "scholar's painting" (shi ren hua), which idealised spontaneity and painting without financial reward.
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wikipedia incomplete · checked 25 September 2026
- Identity
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Authority files
wikidata · Q1288620 · wikipedia · Wen Tong
In this article
Identity and origins
Identity and origins
He could hold two brushes in one hand and paint two different distanced bamboos simultaneously. One Chinese idiom in relation to him goes "there are whole bamboos in his heart" (胸有成竹), meaning that one has a well-thought-out plan in his mind. An elegy written by him upon the death of one of his gibbons has been preserved in the collection of his works.
The authorities additionally record the headings Shishi Xiansheng Yu-k'o, Xiaoxiao xiansheng, Wen Huzhou, Chin-chiang Tao-jen and Shishi xiansheng. His recorded language was Chinese. He was the child of Wen Changhan. 3 children are recorded: Wen Chaoguang, Wen Baoguang and Wen Wuguang.
China; Handscroll; Paintings
Wen Tong · This file was donated to Wikimedia Commons as part of a project by the Metropolitan Museum of Art. See the Image and Data Resources Open Access Policy
China; Handscroll; Paintings
Wen Tong · This file was donated to Wikimedia Commons as part of a project by the Metropolitan Museum of Art. See the Image and Data Resources Open Access Policy
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
1018
Wen Tong was born in 1018 at Yanting County.
1079
Wen Tong died in 1079 at Huzhou.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
Yanting County.
Birth place
Huzhou.
Death place
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- “Wen Tong”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q1288620: Wen Tong
Unverified · Wikidata
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.image et son commentaire en anglais sur chinaonlinemuseum.
- 2.185.
- 3.Emmanuel Bénézit. Dictionnaire des peintres,sculpteurs, dessinateurs et graveurs. éditions Gründ. 10. 13440. 1999. 2700030184.
- 4.180.
- 5.181.
Bibliography printed in the source article · 2
- Yang Xin, Richard M. Barnhart, Nie Chongzheng, James Cahill, Lang Shaojun, Wu Hung. Trois mille ans de peinture chinoise. Éditions Philippe Picquier. 1997. 2-87730-341-1.
- Nicole Vandier-Nicolas. Peinture chinoise et tradition lettrée. Éditions du Seuil. 1983. 2-02-006440-5.
References
Citations
References
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reference work
Partially resolvedauthority record
Unverified
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Books
38,342 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- Wen JiaAuthor
- Wen QimeiAuthor
- Wen TianxiangAuthor
- Wen TingyunAuthor
- Wen YiduoAuthor
- Wen ZhenhengAuthor
- Wenceslao AlpucheAuthor
- Wenceslao Fernández FlórezAuthor
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