Ink and colours.  An old chestnut tree grows by the water's edge, bending over bamboo, rushes, rocks and brambles.  A group of pigeons rest on its branches while others are feeding.  The texture strokes modelling the rock face are done largely on the vertical, but without stereotype.  It is an exceedingly fine painting, and unsigned.  Both title and author were ascribed by the Ching collector Liang Ching-piao.

Huang Chu-Tsai (born A.D. 933) was a native of Cheng-tu in Ssuchuan Province, the second son of Huang Chuan.  His tzu was Po-luan.  He served the ruler of Ssuchuan as tai-chao of the Han-lin Academy and continued his family's tradition.  He painted flowers, bamboo, birds and animals capturing their true essence and life-likeness with a grasp of the principles of Nature.  He also painted small scenes with strange rocks, often surpassing his father.  He followed the Shu ruler's capitulation of the Sung Court in 965, receiving the rank of executive assistant at imperial entertainments.  The Sung emperor Tai-tsung held him in high regard and entrusted him to collect famous paintings from the realm, to authenticate and rank them.  He won the respect of all younger artists.  Unfortunately his death date is not known.