Wang Meng

We authenticate, certify, issue certificates of authenticity (COA), appraise the value and broker the sale of paintings and drawings by WANG Meng.

Chinese

Born: 1308, Huzhou, China
Died: circa 1385, Nankin, China, aged 77

He spent most of his life in China.

Typical Subject Matter

Wang Meng typically painted landscapes, often including mountains in the background, and always comprising trees, arranged on different grounds. Some of his works feature Chinese dwellings with open sliding doors, revealing the interiors and the inhabitants carrying on with their lives. His works often feature calligraphic inscriptions in Chinese characters organized in blocks, inscribed in the empty spaces, often above the horizon line formed by these mountainous motifs.

Typical Style

He is renowned as one of the Four Masters of the Yuan dynasty—an important movement in traditional Chinese art. His line is precise and sure, and his motifs are highly detailed. The mountain peaks looming in the background of his compositions are typically painted in lighter, more diluted colours than the motifs in the foreground. He drew most of the motifs in his paintings in black ink, and coloured certain details in ochre, red, blue, and green. The black tones of his paintings sometimes appear green today, due to the ageing of the works. His seal signature is typically applied in red ink.

Typical Material and Media

Wang Meng mostly worked in ink on paper.

If you own a painting or a drawing by or attributed to Wang Meng, we would like to learn about it. Please send us photos or contact us at [email protected]. You will generally receive a response within 24 hours.