Ma Lin, 1180 – 1256

The 11 Most Famous Paintings by Ma Lin

The painting that made Ma Lin famous is Landscape with great pine (1201); it hangs in the Metropoliten музеј у Њујорку, Њујорк. Scholar Reclining and Watching Rising Clouds, Poem by Wang Wei (1225) and Seated Portrait of Fu Xi (1230) follow it in the hearts of collectors and museum visitors. Of the 11 works by Ma Lin in our catalogue, these 11 are the most admired, each presented with its date, its museum and what sets it apart.

Ranked by our popularity score, which combines the searches, visits and orders for each work. Updated октобар 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.

Portrait of Ma Lin
Ma Lin · 1180 – 1256
Born · died
1180 – 1256, Baoding
Works in our catalogue
11
Most famous
Landscape with great pine (1201)
Most works at
Cleveland Museum of Art

Ma Lin: the ten masterpieces

Landscape with great pine (1201) by Ma Lin
1

Landscape with great pine

1201 · Silk · Metropoliten музеј у Њујорку, Њујорк

Ma Lin’s Landscape with Great Pine: A Symphony of Symbolism and Innovation Ma Lin's "Landscape with Great Pine" stands as a testament to the artistic spirit of the Southern Song dynasty, capturing not merely a visual representation of nature but also profound Daoist ideals. Created in 1201, this silk painting measuring 25 x 26 cm resides within The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s collection, offering viewers an unparalleled glimpse into the…

Scholar Reclining and Watching Rising Clouds, Poem by Wang Wei (1225) by Ma Lin
2

Scholar Reclining and Watching Rising Clouds, Poem by Wang Wei

1225 · Ink · Cleveland Museum of Art, Klivlend

A scholar reclines upon a rugged, dark outcrop, positioned at the edge of a vast, misty void. This circular composition, or tondo, captures a moment of quiet contemplation inspired by the verse: "Walking to where the water ends, I sit and watch when clouds arise." The figure gazes toward a distant, ethereal mountain peak that emerges from a sea of swirling mist. The composition relies heavily on negative space to…

Seated Portrait of Fu Xi (1230) by Ma Lin
3

Seated Portrait of Fu Xi

1230 · Ink · Nacionalni palata muzej, Taipei

This work, titled Seated Portrait of Fu Xi, is a significant example of the painting traditions of the Southern Song dynasty. Created by the court painter Ma Lin, the piece offers a focused study of the mythological figure Fuxi. It is a vertical composition that captures the subject in a moment of quietude, presented through a classical ink and color approach on silk or paper.

More Ma Lin masterpieces, 11 to 11

The subjects Ma Lin painted most

The four subjects that return most often among these masterpieces, with the finest example of each.

Where to see Ma Lin's paintings

The 6 museums that hold the most of the paintings on this page.

Museum City Works by Ma Lin Paintings from this list
Cleveland Museum of Art, KlivlendCleveland Museum of Art Klivlend 3 Scholar Reclining and Watching Rising Clouds, Poem by Wang Wei, Scholar Reclining and Watching Rising Clouds; Poem by Wang Wei, Landscape with Flying Geese
Nacionalni palata muzej, TaipeiNacionalni palata muzej Taipei 3 Seated Portrait of Fu Xi, Standing Portrait of King Yu of Xia, Listening Quietly to Soughing Pines
Metropoliten музеј у Њујорку, ЊујоркMetropoliten музеј у Њујорку Њујорк 2 Landscape with great pine, Untitled (D2X89S)
Rhode Island School of Design Museum of Art, ProvidensRhode Island School of Design Museum of Art Providens 1 Magpies and Flowering Plum Tree
MOA Museum of Art, AtamiMOA Museum of Art Atami 1 Solitary Fisherman on a Wintry River
The Palace Museum, BeijingThe Palace Museum Beijing 1 Mume Twigs

Ma Lin, decade by decade: the defining painting of each

  1. 1200s
    Landscape with great pine (1201) by Ma Lin
    Rank 1 / 11

    Landscape with great pine

    Age 20 – 29 · Metropoliten музеј у Њујорку

    Ma Lin’s Landscape with Great Pine: A Symphony of Symbolism and Innovation Ma Lin's "Landscape with Great Pine" stands as a testament to the artistic spirit of the…

  2. 1220s
  3. 1230s
    Seated Portrait of Fu Xi (1230) by Ma Lin
    Rank 3 / 11

    Seated Portrait of Fu Xi

    Age 50 – 59 · Nacionalni palata muzej

    This work, titled Seated Portrait of Fu Xi, is a significant example of the painting traditions of the Southern Song dynasty. Created by the court painter Ma Lin,…

  4. 1250s

Ma Lin's masterpieces: questions and answers

Which painting is Ma Lin best known for?Show the answer

Landscape with great pine (1201), Metropoliten музеј у Њујорку, Њујорк. Next come Scholar Reclining and Watching Rising Clouds, Poem by Wang Wei (1225) and Seated Portrait of Fu Xi (1230).

How old was Ma Lin when painting Landscape with great pine?Show the answer

21 years old: Landscape with great pine dates from 1201 and Ma Lin was born in 1180.

What are Ma Lin's ten greatest paintings?Show the answer

Landscape with great pine, Scholar Reclining and Watching Rising Clouds, Poem by Wang Wei, Seated Portrait of Fu Xi, Untitled (D2X89S), Scholar Reclining and Watching Rising Clouds; Poem by Wang Wei, Landscape with Flying Geese, Standing Portrait of King Yu of Xia, Listening Quietly to Soughing Pines, Magpies and Flowering Plum Tree and Solitary Fisherman on a Wintry River. The ranking above gives the year and the museum of each.

How many works did Ma Lin paint?Show the answer

Our catalogue lists 11 works by Ma Lin, dated from 1201 to 1250.

In which museums can I see Ma Lin's masterpieces?Show the answer

Most of them are in Cleveland Museum of Art (Klivlend), Nacionalni palata muzej (Taipei) and Metropoliten музеј у Њујорку (Њујорк). The table above lists the museums one by one.

When did Ma Lin paint the masterpieces?Show the answer

In 1200s: 2 of the 11 works on this page date from then, among them Landscape with great pine.

What are the first and last famous paintings of Ma Lin?Show the answer

The earliest on this page is Landscape with great pine (1201), the latest Landscape with Flying Geese (1250).

Which technique did Ma Lin favour?Show the answer

Ink: 2 of the 11 works on this page.

Which masterpieces by Ma Lin hang at the Cleveland Museum of Art?Show the answer

Scholar Reclining and Watching Rising Clouds, Poem by Wang Wei, Scholar Reclining and Watching Rising Clouds; Poem by Wang Wei and Landscape with Flying Geese are among the 3 works on this page held by the Cleveland Museum of Art, Klivlend.

Can I own a reproduction of a Ma Lin masterpiece?Show the answer

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.

The life of Ma Lin

Rani život i umetnički uticaji

Ma Lin, istaknuti kineski dvorarski slikar, cvetao je od početka do sredine 13. veka (oko 1180–1256). Kao sin čuvenog umetnika Ma Yuana, Ma Lin je od najranijih godina bio uronjen u svet umetnosti, upijajući složenosti slikarstva od svog slavnog oca.

Umetnički stil i značajna dela

Umetnički stil Ma Lina prepoznatljiv je po tehnici „bez kostiju“ (boneless), koja podrazumeva nanošenje tuševa i boja direktno na svilu, bez upotrebe kontura ili preliminarnih skica. Ovakav pristup omogućava fluidniji i ekspresivniji stil, posebno prikladan za dočaravanje prirodnih scena i figura u pokretu. Jedno od njegovih najslavnijih dela je Noćni izlazak uz sveće, očaravajuća prikazivanja gospodina okruženog cvetnim drvećem jabuka u rascvetu, osvetljenog visokim svećama. Ovo delo ne samo da pokazuje Ma Linovo majstorstvo u tehnici „bez kostiju“, već i njegovu sposobnost da izazove duboki osećaj spokoja i lepote.

Nasleđe i uticaj

Rad Ma Lin je visoko cenjen zbog svoje elegancije, osetljivosti za svetlost i atmosferu, kao i majstorskog korišćenja boja. Kao jedan od najvećih slikara dinastije Song, njegova umetnost nastavlja da inspiriše umetnike i ljubitelje umetnosti širom sveta.
  • Ključni umetnički doprinosi:
    • usavršio tehniku slikanja „bez kostiju“
    • dočarao suptilnosti svetlosti i atmosfere u svojim delima
    • doprineo razvoju kineskog dvorarskog slikarstva tokom dinastije Song
  • Značajna umetnička dela:
  • Muzeji i kolekcije:
    • Metropolitan muzej umetnosti (New York City, Sjedinjene Američke Države)
    • Kineski centar za istraživanje dokumentacije moderne i savremene umetnosti (Peking, Kina)

Istražite dalje: resursi iz WahooArt

Za dublje istraživanje Ma Linove umetnosti i konteksta kineskog dvorarskog slikarstva tokom dinastije Song, istražite ove resurse:

Zaključak

Enigmatična, ali ipak očaravajuća dela Ma Lina nastavljaju da opčinjavaju ljubitelje umetnosti širom sveta. Kroz majstorstvo u upotrebi tehnike „bez kostiju“ i neverovatnu osetljivost za svetlost, on je ostavio neizbrisiv trag u istoriji kineskog dvorarskog slikarstva dinastije Song.

All 11 works by Ma Lin →