He Hao
Ming court painter famed for pines
He Hao(何浩) was from Guangzhou during the Ming dynasty and was a court painter known for painting pines. Records of his life are found in the 'Comprehensive Gazetteer of Guangdong' as well as in the appraisal and collection information of his artworks. In the history of Ming dynasty Guangdong painting, He Hao was another court-serving Guangdong painter following Lin Liang. He Hao was skilled in bird-and-flower painting, and his brushwork was quite similar to that of Li Di. His surviving work 'Autumn Waves in Ten Thousand Valleys' is a handscroll divided between the Liaoning Provincial Museum and the Guangdong Museum. The artwork bears the seal 'Wuyang Dongming Tushu' and inscriptions including 'Ren Zhi Dian,' confirming his Guangzhou origin and court status. He Hao is the only Guangdong painter whose works were appraised by the Qing court and are still held in mainland Chinese museums. Nie Chongzheng of the Palace Museum verified his identity as a court painter, and his work also bears the 'Jinmen Huashi' seal. The 'Autumn Waves in Ten Thousand Valleys' handscroll by He Hao is ink on silk, measuring 27.5 cm in height and 493.5 cm in width. In 2008, the Guangdong Museum acquired it for 800,000 yuan and displayed it when the new museum building opened. The version held in the Liaoning Provincial Museum is ink on paper, 27 cm tall and 448 cm wide, and is classified as a national first-class cultural relic. The painting features landscapes and pine forests, which aligns with his reputation for painting pines. His work first showed up at auction in the spring of 2003 and appeared again in 2008, with Zhu Wanzhang conducting a focused study on the painting.