Outside the court, the paintings by T'ang Yin, Shen Chou, Wen Cheng-ming and Ch'iu Ying--the Four Masters of the Ming--illuminate their indivial artistic achievements and the life of the literati of the time.
民間的「明四大家」唐寅、沈周、文徵明、仇英的畫作，則展現個人藝術成就及當時的文人生活。