Chen Juzhong
Chen Juzhong(陈居中), originally from Pingyang in Zhejiang, was active during the Southern Song Dynasty under Emperors Ningzong and Lizong (around 1160–after 1232). During the Jiatai period (1201–1204), he served as an imperial painter, specializing in figures and foreign horses. In the third year of Kaixi (1207), Chen Juzhong was sent on a mission to the Jin dynasty to depict the customs of the northern regions, during which he also painted a portrait of a lady named Cui. In the fifth year of Shaoding (1232), he passed the military examination. Most of his works depict the life and scenes of the northwestern ethnic minorities and horses, with refined brushwork and vivid imagery. He also has a surviving work called "Eggplant Painting." His surviving pieces include "Wenji Returns to Han" and "Four Sheep," among others. Some of his paintings, due to their detailed depictions of foreign customs, are believed by some researchers to have served a spy-like purpose, recording intelligence on the Jin dynasty.