Mustard Seed Garden Manual of Painting (Portable Full Version) The Mustard Seed Garden Manual of Painting is the most influential and revered painting guide of the last 300 years in China, Japan, and Korea. Originally compiled by Nanjing painter Wang Gai (also known as Wang Kai, 1650–1700) , the first edition of 1679 includes a foundational essay on the principles of Chinese painting and the use of color, followed by four richly illustrated sections on landscape painting. In 1701, Wang's brothers expanded the collection to include guides on birds and flowers, cementing the manual’s legacy as a comprehensive reference.
This edition presents Wang Gai's original compilation in its entirety, excluding the later-added figure painting by Ding Hezhou. It merges all four volumes into a portable 654-page treasure .
Contents:
Volume I: Trees and Rocks ManualVolume II: Figures, Houses, and Landscape SamplesVolume III: Orchid, Bamboo, and Plum ManualsVolume IV: Chrysanthemums, Birds, and Flowers Painting SamplesSpecifications:
Publisher: Shanghai Book Store Publishing HouseDimensions: 8-1/8" x 5-9/16"Total Pages: 654Henry Li’s Personal Recommendation: "This book marks the beginning of my Chinese painting journey. In the summer of 1974, my mother borrowed Volume III for me, and I became captivated. I spent the entire summer painstakingly copying each page with transparent paper. Later, I practiced from a hand-painted rice paper copy by my mentor, Han Shaoying—pages I still treasure today."
As a seasoned Chinese brush painting instructor, I highly recommend this manual for both beginners and advanced students of Chinese painting and sumi-e. It is truly the mother of all Chinese painting textbooks .
While you may have amassed other Chinese brush painting resources, omitting this manual leaves a significant gap in your collection. The full Chinese edition of the Mustard Seed Garden Manual of Painting contains hundreds of illustrative pages—far surpassing the widely known English translation by Mai-mai Sze. I suggest obtaining both the Chinese original and the English edition to fully immerse yourself in the rich artistry and invaluable guidance this manual offers.
For any artist aiming to build a strong foundation in Chinese painting, this timeless manual remains an essential companion.
"Among those who study painting, some strive for an elaborate effect and others prefer the simple.Neither complexity in itself nor simplicity is enough.
Some aim to be deft, others to be laboriously careful. Neither dexterity nor conscientiousness is enough.
Some set great value on method, while others pride themselves on dispensing with method. To be without method is deplorable, but to depend entirely on method is worse.
You must learn first to observe the rules faithfully; afterwards, modify them according to your intelligence and capacity. The end of all method is to seem to have no method."
"...If you aim to dispense with method, learn method
...if you aim at facility, work hard
...If you aim for simplicity, master complexity."
Wang Gai, the Editor of the Mustard Seeds Garden Manual of Painting
French translation: The text of this Chinese painting classic has been translated into French in 1918 as Kiai-Tseu-Yuan Houa Tchouan, Encyclopédie de la Peinture Chinoise by Petrucci, Raphael . See also here for an e-book version .
