A Dancing Boy (Mudong)

What you see

Six seated musicians form an arc across the top and down the right side, leaving the center empty. At upper left, a man beats a drum hung from a wooden frame; beside him play an hourglass drum, two small pipes, a transverse flute and, seen from behind, a stringed instrument. At lower left, the boy dances with one leg raised.

The pale paper is left almost bare, with light touches of green, grey and orange. The lines are quick and loose, and the dancer’s sleeves seem to whirl with his movement. Don’t miss the musicians’ smiles, especially the flute player’s on the right, and the red seal in the lower left corner.