Li Gonglin

Who was Li Gonglin?

Li Gonglin, style name Boshi, pseudonym Longmian Jushi, was a Chinese painter, civil officer and archaeologist in the Northern Song Dynasty.

Born into a scholarly home near what is modern day Lu'an City, Li Gonglin passed the highest level of civil service examinations at 21 and became a civil officer. He became famous for his paintings of horses, then he turned to Buddhism and Taoism religious painting, as well as portrait and landscape painting. His painting style was attributed to the style of Gu Kaizhi and Wu Daozi. He made archaeological contributions in the areas of copperware and Jade Seal dated between the Xia Dynasty and the Zhou Dynasty.