Portrait of Zhu Yizun, late 17th-early 18th century, Yu Zhiding, Chinese, 1647 - c. 1713, 30 5/8 ¡Ñ 16 7/16 in. (77.79 ¡Ñ 41.75 cm) (image)78 3/8 ¡Ñ 24 7/16 in. (199.07 ¡Ñ 62.07 cm) (overall, without roller), Ink and color on paper, China, 17th-18th century, Yu Zhiding, the painter of this intriguing portrait, was born in Yangzhou, Jiangsu province, and became widely known as the pre-eminent portraitist of his day. Yu imbued each of his portraits of eminent officials, scholars, poets, and artists with realistic faces, while also including subtle and oblique allusions that place them effectively within the larger social, economic, and cultural context. In this painting, Yu painted Zhu Yizun (1629-1709), a renowned scholar, official, poet, and bibliophile. The sitter, siting in a landscaped garden, looks out at us directly, with a confident, self-contained air, alerting us to his high status. Some influence from the Western approach to painting is visible in the use of shadow and color to model the face of the subject.