Ink on paper 125*45 cm

Tong Yu (1721-1782), also known by his zi (courtesy name) Erru and his hao (literary names) Ershu and Puyan, was a native of Kuaiji, Zhejiang province. Together with fellow natives, he formed a poetry society devoted to verse and painting, later known as the “Seven Masters of Yue.” He excelled in painting landscapes and flowers, with particular mastery in depictions of plum blossoms. His practice of inscribing poems on his paintings earned him acclaim for achieving “the dual excellence.” At the invitation of Asiha, the Governor of Henan, he spent many years in Kaifeng compiling provincial chronicles. He passed away in Yangzhou during the Qianlong reign(1736-1796).