Painting of a Folk Practitioner Performing Surgery
Painted by Li Tang, Song Dynasty
The painting is registered in Painting and Calligraphy of the Imperial Palace (Gu gong shu hua lu ):"vertical painting on unbleached silk with no inscriptions. At the upper right corner a seal reads 'viewed by the Qianlong Emperor.' 2.12 chi high, 1.79 chi wide." The painting is entitled"picture of moxibustion." It depicts vividly the scene of a folk practitioner performing surgery on an old man. It is preserved at the Imperial Museum in Taipei. This is a copy by the famous painter Wu" Gongben. (Collection of Chinese Museum for History of Medicine.)