Twelve Views of Landscape (Shan-shui shih-erh-ching) is the most famous painting by Xia Gui, held by the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City. From the 2 works of Xia Gui in our catalogue, here are the 2 that collectors and museum visitors look at most, with the year, the museum and the story of each.
Ranked by our popularity score, which combines the searches, visits and orders for each work. Updated oktober 2026. Every masterpiece on this page can be ordered as a museum-quality, hand-painted oil reproduction or a fine art print, at the size you choose.
The 2 museums that hold the most of the paintings on this page.
| Museum | City | Works by Xia Gui | Paintings from this list |
|---|---|---|---|
 Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art |
Kansas City | 1 | Twelve Views of Landscape (Shan-shui shih-erh-ching) |
 National Palace Museum |
Taipei | 1 | Pure and Remote View of Streams and Mountains |
Twelve Views of Landscape (Shan-shui shih-erh-ching).
Our catalogue lists 2 works by Xia Gui.
Most of them are in Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art (Kansas City) and National Palace Museum (Taipei). The table above lists the museums one by one.
Yes. Every painting on this page can be ordered as a museum-quality, hand-painted oil reproduction or a fine art print, in the size you choose, from the painting's own page.
Xia Gui was a Chinese landscape painter of the Song dynasty, most likely born in Hangzhou, People's Republic of China. Alongside his contemporary Ma Yuan, he founded the influential Ma-Xia school. While much of his life remains unknown, he served in the Imperial Painting Academy during the reign of Emperor Ningzong. His artistic approach was characterized by a move away from highly detailed, complex compositions toward a more immediate and striking effect, often utilizing limited materials to achieve this impact.
His technical mastery is evident in his use of extremely subtle, graded ink washes and overlapping brushstrokes to create atmospheric effects of mist, sky, and infinity. He was noted for his ability to work with great ease and speed, often producing spontaneous creations on paper that absorbed ink quickly. Furthermore, Xia Gui was praised for his skill in drawing architecture freehand without the use of a ruler.
The surviving works of Xia Gui include various genres, such as small album leaves and hand scrolls. His technique often featured perfectly balanced diagonal compositions where void and solid mass played equally important roles. Notable examples of his work include:
His influence extended far beyond his own era, impacting the Japanese master Sesshū Tōyō, who was influenced by Xia's idiom and made studies of his landscape fans.