Zhai Dakun

Zhai Dakun was a painter whose documented professional activity centered around the year 1775. His known output consists exclusively of paintings, with thirteen individual works currently represented in museum collections.

The surviving titles indicate that Zhai Dakun worked within established East Asian artistic traditions, often referencing historic precedents. His compositions include several paintings generically titled Landscape, demonstrating a sustained focus on classical natural scenery. A notable work, Frosted Branches and Dwarf Bamboo, in the Style of Su Shi, explicitly references the influential aesthetic and literary style of the celebrated Song Dynasty polymath Su Shi, suggesting Zhai Dakun engaged directly with the intellectual and technical lineages of Chinese literati painting.

Thirteen of Zhai Dakun paintings are preserved in public institutions, establishing his historical significance. His museum-quality works are notably held in the permanent collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Because of their inclusion in institutional holdings, many of these classical compositions are available today as high-quality prints for scholarly and public access.