馬麟，這位活動於十三世紀南宋寧、理宗時代的畫院畫家，正如一般職業畫師， 只有簡略的生平資料。由於所畫均是關連到宮庭背景，從存世的作品，加以畫上帝后的題跋 ，可以確知馬麟在寧宗晚期，已是成名的畫家。再從專門記載宋代宮廷的筆記，如周密《武 林舊事》追索，〈芳春雨霽〉正是畫南宋宮殿中的芳春園，而非單純的描繪春景而已。〈秉 燭夜遊〉更是畫宮庭�堿K夜賞海棠，畫中亭子是「照妝亭」，根據的詩意出自蘇軾〈海棠詩 〉。從詩書一體來判斷，是對幅應理宗書海棠詩；再從右上角一殘印，比對上海、大阪、美 國大都會諸博物館所藏，有相同殘印者，證明這是一套以唐宋名詩及杭州名勝為題的冊頁。 而此殘印正是理宗的收藏印「御府圖書」。宋理宗即位後，表示推崇理學，命馬麟製作十三 道統人物畫像，並親書道統十三贊於畫上。比對宋理宗的畫像，發現竟是以理宗來作為此道 統人物的化身。宋朝本有以皇帝作為天命君子的神話傳統，但這套道統圖卻是僅存的證物。 〈靜聽松風〉一圖也是畫理宗於御愛松下，可與道統圖諸圖像對比，而故宮另藏有〈松澗雙 鳥〉也可能是〈靜聽松風〉的草稿之一。

　　　　　Ma Lin, active during the 13th century as a painter at the courts of Emperors Ning-tsung (r. 1195-1224) and Li-tsung (r. 1224-1264), was like many other professional painters before and since his time-marked by only the sketchiest of biographical information. This is frustrating for the art historian, because Ma Lin appears, judging from his works, to have had a close relationship with the imperial family and court and to have already become an important court artist late in the reign of Ning-tsung. His connection with the imperial family can be deduced from the content of his surviving works, especially those bearing inscriptions by members of the imperial family. And when combined with evidence garnered from contemporary records of life in the Southern Sung, both in and around the court at Hangchow, such as Old Matters of Wu-lin by Chou Mi (1232-1298), other paintings by Ma Lin take on significance in relation to the court. For example, Ma's "Spring Fragrance, Clearing After Rain" in the National Palace Museum appears not to be merely an innocent rendition of spring scenery, but actually a representation of the Spring Fragrance Garden in the Southern Sung court compound. Another of his paintings, "Waiting for Guests by Lamplight," which represents an evening of appreciating crab-apple blossoms at court, is actually a portrait of the Pavilion of Reflected Make-up, which itself was based on the image evoked by Su Shih (1036-1101) in his "Crab-apple Verse." Judging from the calligraphy and poetic content of Li-tsung's "Crab-apple Verse," it forms a pair with Ma Lin's painting. Furthermore, the partial impression of a seal in the upper right corner, when compared to similar impressions on album leaves in the Shanghai Museum, Osaka Municipal Museum, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, suggest that this leaf once formed part of an album illustrating famous sites in the Hangchow area based on famous poems from the T'ang and Northern Sung. When reconstructed, this partial impression reads "yu-fu t'u-shu," which was the seal used on works in Li-tsung's collection, thus providing another link between Ma Lin and the court. And after Li-tsung ascended the throne, one of his policies was to appear as a proponent of Neo-Confucianism in order to assuage members of the court. He ordered Ma Lin to paint the portraits of members of the Neo-Confucian lineage--the Thirteen Sages and Rulers of the Orthodox Lineage; Li-tsung himself inscribed the eulogies. To commemorate this act (and include himself as a manifestation in this mythological lineage), the portraits, judging from the surviving ones from the set, appear to have been based on the portrait of Li-tsung himself. Even before Li-tsung, there had been a tradition of transforming emperors in the Sung into mythical sages and rulers, but this group of portraits is the only surviving examples. Furthermore, the figure found in "Quietly Listening to Wind Among Pines," which is comparable the portraits in the Orthodox Lineage series, appears to represent an idealization of Li-tsung as a sage- ruler seated under the imperial pine, a tree which is actually mentioned in contemporary records. Finally, "Pines, Stream, and Pair of Magpies," also in the National Palace Museum, may represent a draft of "Quietly Listening to Wind Among Pines." Thus, the present paper is an effort at narrowing the gap and further defining the relationship between Ma Lin and the Southern Sung court.