A Copy of Zhang Xuan’s Lady Guoguo’s Spring Outing， a Northern Song（960.1127） hand scroll， ink and color on silk， 52cm×148cm， in the collection of the Liaoning Provincial Museum， Shenyang.
Zhang Xuan， a renowned painter in the Kaiyuan and Tianbao reigns（713.755） of the Tang Dynasty， was skillful in drawing ladies， babies， horses and court ladies in particular. Fourty seven of his paintings were once kept in the imperial palace of the Song Dynasty， but few are handed down to today. Lady Guoguo’s Spring Outing depicts the scene that Lady Guoguo， the elder sister of Yang Guifei， goes out for spring excursion. The elegant and attractive Lady Guoguo， riding a big strong horse and wearing gorgeous clothes， moves slowly and is surrounded by numerous attendants： maids in waiting， housemaids and eunuches. These servants have different costumes， postures and countenances， which were drawn delicately and lifelike. The painting also has accurate and smooth lines， and bright colors.
The original works of Zhang Xuan have already been lost. This copy work， drawn by some excellent painter in the late Song Dynasty， still presents painting style of the Tang Dynasty. It is a national cultural treature.
