huapu 畫譜, painting albums

Huapu 畫譜 are illustrated catalogues of Chinese paintings or instructional diagrams on painting methods. Huapu texts can also be called „painting manuals“.

In the Northern Song period 北宋 (960-1126), the Xuanhe huapu 宣和畫譜 was compiled on imperial order as a catalogue of famous paintings collected by Emperor Huizong 宋徽宗 (r. 1100-1125). Although it did not contain illustrations, the term huapu originates from this work. In the Southern Song 南宋 (1127-1279), Song Boren 宋伯仁 compiled the oldest surviving illustrated painting manual, Meihua xishen pu 梅花喜神譜, demonstrating the techniques of painting plum blossoms. In the Yuan period, Li Kan 李衎 (1244-1320) wrote the Zhupu xianglu 竹譜詳錄, which mainly explained techniques for painting bamboo. However, the illustrations do not survive.

From the Ming 明 (1368-1644) and Qing 清 (1644-1911) periods onward, many illustrated catalogues and instructional manuals appeared, such as Lidai minggong huapu 歷代名公畫譜 (1603) by Gu Bing 顧炳, Wanxiaotang huazhuan 晚笑堂畫傳 by Shangguan Zhou 上官周 (1665-1752), and Shizhuzhai huapu 十竹齋畫譜 by Hu Zhengyan 胡正言 (1584-1674). Among painting-method guides were works like Tuhui zongyi 圖繪宗彝 by Yang Erzeng 楊爾曾 (born c. 1575), Gaosong zhupu 高松竹譜 by Wang Chang'an 王暢安, and the famous Jieziyuan huazhuan 芥子園畫傳 by Wang Gai 王概 (fl. 1705).

Some theoretical writings on painting were also called huapu, such as the Peiwenzhai shuhua pu 佩文齋書畫譜, compiled during the Kangxi reign-period 康熙 (1662-1722), Tang Yin's 唐寅 (1470-1524) Liuru Jushi huapu 六如居士畫譜 and Shi Tao's 石濤 (1642-1708) Huapu 畫譜, also known as Kugua Heshang hua yulu 苦瓜和尚畫語錄.

A third use of the term huapu is comic-strip versions of books, such as Shuihu huapu 水滸畫譜, compiled by a person called Diandaoren 顛道人 and published in 1888.

In 2000, Yin Soushi 尹瘦石 edited the series Zhongguo gu huapu jicheng 中國古畫譜集成 (Shandong Meishu Chubanshe 山東美術出版社), in 22 volumes, which assembles all essential huapu texts.