Under the Hammer

Lot 887

Zhang Daqian (Chang Dai-Chien, 1899-1983),
Calligraphy Couplet in Running Script

This monumental couplet in running script was written by Zhang Daqian to celebrate the opening of Minsheng Group’s Neijiang office on 4 July 1944. Following his return from Dunhuang, Daqian reached the pinnacle of his creativity. This exceptionally impressive couplet is on tailored gold-flecked red paper, with a height of over 3.5 meters: one of only two works by Zhang of such an impressive size. With the other in the permanent collection of the Palace Museum, Taipei, the present couplet is the only available on the market.

Having been treasured for nearly 80 years in private hands, this pair of hanging scrolls are in fantastic condition, with the original mounting intact. The unique masterpiece is undoubtedly of museum quality and would be a trophy piece for any admirer of Zhang Daqian’s work.  

Lot 914

Wang Shilu (1626-1673),
Sutra in Regular Script

These four sutra albums in regular script by Wang Shilu (1626-1673) were written during his wrongful eight-month imprisonment in 1664. While Wang Shilu’s confinement has been well documented in the literature by his contemporaries as well as by historians, this set of four albums are the only known surviving objects to derive directly from such a terrifying incident.  

Amongst the most prominent official poets, Wang Shilu and his younger brother Wang Shizhen (1634-1711), together known as the Two Wang Brothers, have had an everlasting impact among literati circles throughout the Qing Dynasty up to today. These albums feature colophons by 36 of the artist’s friends and students, many of whom were renowned scholars and poets who held high government posts. This set of four albums is undoubtedly a testimony of Wang Shilu's popularity within the literary circle in Yangzhou in 1660s.

Lot 907

Wu Li (1632-1718),
Spring Village

In his 20s, Wu Li began to study with the two most influential masters of his time, Wang Jian and Wang Shimin. With the former he learned painting techniques, while the latter generously provided his collection of ancient masterpieces for Wu Li to imitate and absorb. As a result of these relationships, it is widely known that Wu's early paintings greatly resemble the style of his mentor Wang Jian.

Stunningly beautiful and elegant, Wu's blue and green landscapes are often said to have surpassed the brushwork of fellow established painter, Wang Hui (1632-1717). The present handscroll depicts riveting rustic sceneries. While Wang Jian’s impact is traceable, here Wu Li has demonstrated a unique style of his own. As the renowned 20th century collector and connoisseur Wu Hufan says in his colophon, this handscroll is even more treasurable for its fantastic condition.

Lot 884

Lin Fengmian (1900-1991),
Bo Le Inspecting the Horses

According to research, only two oil paintings of this particular subject matter by Lin Fengmian are in existence. The other was created for his artist friend Shen Roujian (1919-1998), painted during Lin Fengmian’s Shanghai years from late 1950s to 1960s. Judging by its signature and style, the present lot is thought to have been executed during this period. This rare oil-on-canvas work, originally from a private Hong Kong collection, made its market debut over a quarter of a century ago at Sotheby’s Taipei on 16 April 1995.

The centre of this fantastic painting focuses on a groom holding the reins of a majestic bay horse; together, the two figures form a strong compositional triangle. In the background, an elderly man with red whiskers overlooks the scene while two lovely ponies eat grass under a canopy of golden-coloured leaves. The carefully arranged composition is intensely theatrical yet poised, culminating in a visually compelling and spiritually intriguing work.

Lot 854

Yu Fei'an (1888-1959),
Magpies, Pheasant and Flowers

From the mid to late 1940s, the Beijing-born painter Yu Fei’an has established a uniquely elaborate style of his own in gongbi (fine brushwork) flower and bird painting. Influenced by the great Song painter Zhao Chang and kesi (silk tapestry) designs, Magpies, Pheasant and Flowers recalls the main composition of Zhao’s masterpiece, The Four Magpies, which is housed in the collection of the Palace Museum, Taipei.

As the inscription reveals, Yu Fei’an created the first version of this composition on paper in 1938, while the present lot on silk was painted a decade later purely for his own pleasure. In traditional Chinese culture, peonies, magnolia, magpies, pheasants, and Taihu rocks represent prosperity, happiness, and longevity; by including all of these auspicious symbols organically together in one composition, Yu Fei'an inarguably demonstrates his skilful mastery of the genre.  

Iris Miao is Bonhams' Consulting Head of Chinese Paintings based in Hong Kong. She can be reached at iris.miao@bonhams.com.

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