Finely painted with a continuous scene of figures at leisure within a palace compound, including a central scene with a foliate tree enveloping the upper part of the composition with a pavilion where a seated high-ranking Daoist dignitary is surrounded by a row of standing female musicians, playing various instruments together with female attendants and two children crouched on a carpet with a squared decoration with flowers and behind them a ladder with a carved dragon medallion. Outside in a balustraded garden a row of standing small groups of men discussing between two cranes and a large scholar rock, the rocks primarily painted in shades and with shrubs and bushes, the figures all in various early Ming period costume finely embroidered with elaborate details, all picked out in deep multicoloured threads and bright pigments against a straw-coloured paper on canvas ground. Inscribed and signed by two seals on the bottom on each corner. As it is common for a painting of this age, the surface with wears and small losses, folds and stains, as visible from the images.149,2 cm high, 42,8 cm wideAN IMPORTANT AND VERY RARE BEAUTIFUL PAINTING ON PAPER MOUNTED ON CANVAS HANGING SCROLL, CHINA, EARLY MING DYNASTY (1368-1644) OR EARLIER DYNASTYProvenance: from the private collection of an Italian gentleman and thence by descend, in the property since the 50iesNote: Exhibited at the Mostra di Antichi Ritratti Cinesi held in Milan, 1956, Museo Poldi Pezzoli, Tav. 6 (detail). The property has the original catalogue, photocopies available. The Exhibition held in Milan was the third exhibition held in Italy on Chinese art but was the first on Portraits and with all paintings coming from exclusively Italian private collections.