Hanging Scroll - Styles of Hanging Scrolls

Styles of Hanging Scrolls

There are several hanging scroll styles for mounting, such as:

• Yisebiao (一色裱, one color mount)
• Ersebiao (二色裱, two color mount)
• Sansebiao (三色裱, three color mount)
• Xuanhezhuang (宣和裝, Xuanhe style; also called 宋式裱, Song type mount)

Besides the previous styles of hanging scroll mountings, there are a few additional ways to format the hanging scroll.

• Hall paintings (中堂畫)

Hall paintings are intended to be the centerpiece in the main hall. It's usually quite a large hanging scroll that serves as a focal point in an interior and often has a complicated subject.

• Four hanging scrolls (四條屏)

These hanging scrolls were developed from screen paintings. It features several narrow and long hanging scrolls and is usually hung next to each other on a wall, but can also be hung on its own. The subjects have related themes, such as the flowers of the four seasons, the Four Gentlemen (orchid, bamboo, chrysanthemum, plum blossom), the Four Beauties (ladies renowned for their beauty).

• Panoramic screen (通景屏)

The panoramic screen consists of several hanging scrolls that have continuous images, in which part of subject continues further in another scroll. These hanging scrolls cover large areas of a wall and usually do not have a border in between.

• Couplet (對聯)

A couplet is two hanging scrolls placed side by side or accompanying a scroll in the middle. These are with poetic calligraphy in vertical writing. This style came to popularity during the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644).