Xia Gui, 1195 – 1224
The 2 Most Famous Xia Gui Paintings, Ranked
The best-loved painting by Xia Gui is Twelve Views of Landscape (Shan-shui shih-erh-ching), which hangs in the The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City. Our catalogue holds 2 works by Xia Gui: here are the 2 most famous, each with its year, its museum and what makes it memorable.
Ranked by our popularity score, which combines the searches, visits and orders for each work. Updated October 2026. Each painting on this page can be ordered as an oil reproduction painted by hand on linen canvas, or as a fine art print, made to the size you choose.
- Born · died
- 1195 – 1224, Hangzhou
- Works in our catalogue
- 2
- Most famous
- Twelve Views of Landscape (Shan-shui shih-erh-ching)
- Most works at
- The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art
Top 10 Xia Gui paintings: the canvases everyone knows
Where Xia Gui's canvases hang
The 2 museums that hold the most of the paintings on this page.
| Museum | City | Works by Xia Gui | Paintings from this list |
|---|---|---|---|
 The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art |
Kansas City | 1 | Twelve Views of Landscape (Shan-shui shih-erh-ching) |
 National Palace Museum |
Taipei | 1 | Pure and Remote View of Streams and Mountains |
About Xia Gui's canvases: your questions answered
What is the best-known painting by Xia Gui?Read the answer
Twelve Views of Landscape (Shan-shui shih-erh-ching).
How many works did Xia Gui paint in all?Read the answer
2 works by Xia Gui are in our catalogue.
Where can I see Xia Gui's most famous canvases?Read the answer
Mostly in The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art (Kansas City) and National Palace Museum (Taipei); the list above names each museum and its canvases.
Can I buy a reproduction of a Xia Gui canvas?Read the answer
Yes. Every painting on this page can be ordered from its own page as an oil reproduction painted by hand, or as a fine art print, in the size you choose.
Xia Gui: a life in paint
The Legacy of the Ma-Xia School
Xia Gui was a Chinese landscape painter of the Song dynasty, most likely born in Hangzhou, People's Republic of China. Alongside his contemporary Ma Yuan, he founded the influential Ma-Xia school. While much of his life remains unknown, he served in the Imperial Painting Academy during the reign of Emperor Ningzong. His artistic approach was characterized by a move away from highly detailed, complex compositions toward a more immediate and striking effect, often utilizing limited materials to achieve this impact.
His technical mastery is evident in his use of extremely subtle, graded ink washes and overlapping brushstrokes to create atmospheric effects of mist, sky, and infinity. He was noted for his ability to work with great ease and speed, often producing spontaneous creations on paper that absorbed ink quickly. Furthermore, Xia Gui was praised for his skill in drawing architecture freehand without the use of a ruler.
Notable Works and Artistic Style
The surviving works of Xia Gui include various genres, such as small album leaves and hand scrolls. His technique often featured perfectly balanced diagonal compositions where void and solid mass played equally important roles. Notable examples of his work include:
His influence extended far beyond his own era, impacting the Japanese master Sesshū Tōyō, who was influenced by Xia's idiom and made studies of his landscape fans.