Admonitions Scroll (Gu Kaizhi)

The Admonitions Scroll is one of the oldest Chinese paintings to survive, traditionally attributed to Gu Kaizhi (344-406 CE). This silk handscroll illustrates a text advising court ladies on proper behavior. Nine scenes survive showing women at court with moralistic captions.

The scroll demonstrates early principles of Chinese figure painting: fine, flowing brushstrokes; delicate coloring; and psychological depth in faces and gestures. Whether this is Gu Kaizhi's original or an early Tang dynasty copy remains debated, but it's certainly over a thousand years old. The British Museum acquired it in 1903, though China has disputed the circumstances. Due to fragility, it's rarely displayed and kept in climate-controlled storage.