The Museum collection of precious paintings spans the ages, covering more than a thousand years of Chinese artistic taste. The collection traces its origins to a court tradition starting in the tenth century and includes in more recent years donations, purchases, and entrustments. As you appreciate the marvels of brush and ink, compositional arrangements, and seals and inscriptions in these works, not only will you be able to perceive the overall development of Chinese painting but also experience the feelings of the artists in their works and their aesthetic values, imbuing them with even greater artistic importance and historical stature. Imperial Taste: The Beauty of Painting features 35 select masterpieces from the National Palace Museum collection. Discussed chronologically, these paintings also take into consideration different subject matter, such as landscapes, figures, birds and flowers, and genre. Offering a clear presentation of developments in Chinese painting through the dynasties, this book is an ideal introduction to one facet in the beauty of Chinese art.