Zhang Ruoai

Zhang Ruoai was an artist active around 1700, specializing in painting centered on natural subjects. The artist’s documented output heavily features album leaves, primarily focused on the traditional genre of flower and bird imagery.

Twelve paintings attributed to Zhang Ruoai are preserved in major museum collections, establishing the artist’s significance during the early 18th century. These works frequently depict meticulous studies of flora and fauna, often integrated with compositional elements such as rocks or decorative calligraphy.

Notable examples of the artist’s output include various components of the series Desk Album: Flower and Bird Paintings, documented in museum holdings. Specific subjects represented within this album structure feature detailed compositions such as Desk Album: Flower and Bird Paintings (Bats, rocks, flowers circular calligraphy), Desk Album: Flower and Bird Paintings (Bird with Plum Blossoms), and Desk Album: Flower and Bird Paintings (Climbing Blue Flowers).

Today, Zhang Ruoai’s paintings are held in prestigious international institutions, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Cleveland Museum of Art. The documentation of these works in major American collections solidifies the artist’s historical status. Thanks to the efforts of these institutions, many Zhang Ruoai prints and museum-quality images are now accessible as downloadable artwork for scholarly review and public appreciation.