Chinese Art from Tang to Qing
See also : China Chinese calligraphy Archaic China Northern Song Southern Song and Yuan Later Ming Qianlong Landscape Mountains in China Dragon Horse Travel
Chronology : 1-1000 1000-1300 14th century 16th century 1570-1599 18th century 1740-1749
Chronology : 1-1000 1000-1300 14th century 16th century 1570-1599 18th century 1740-1749
Tang - Horse by Han Gan
2017 SOLD for $ 17M including premium by Christie's
narrated in 2020
Silk painting in ink and colors already existed under the Han, before the invention of paper. As early as 550 CE, an art critic defines six principles to be considered for appreciating a figurative work. The first principle is not derogable : the artist must transfer his energy into his art. It is also the basis of calligraphic art.
The Tang are great protectors of the arts. Narrative paintings feature groups in complex situations, with picturesque detail. The Taizong emperor also inaugurates the Tang's passion for the horse, that indispensable auxiliary of the warrior. He commissions the portraits of his favorite horses to Yan Liben.
The Tang imperial horses are the subject of a selection, integrating the best foreign breeds. The peak is reached during the reign of Xuanzong. His stable is reputed to house 40,000 horses, some of which are specially trained to dance in front of the emperor. Polo, hunting and jousting are practiced with passion. The main horse painter is Chen Hong.
Around 750 CE the self-taught artist Han Gan is noted for his artistic talents and invited to collaborate with Chen Hong. Han Gan abandons stylization for realism. The portrait of a horse, sometimes with a rider or a groom, becomes his exclusive theme. Each animal is observed individually.
On March 15, 2017, Christie's sold at lot 509 for $ 17M including premium the image of a horse by Han Gan, 32 x 38 cm, very readable but heavily cracked. The animal with an elegant two-tone hair walks with a dignified slowness. The colophon of the Qianlong emperor includes no less than twelve imperial seal marks and the artwork is listed in the catalogue of his collection, the Shiqu Baoji.
Xuanzong's long reign is culturally splendid and politically catastrophic. The emperor had abandoned management to devote himself to pleasures. He was deposited in 756 CE after a short civil war. This date is probably the terminus ante quem for an original painting by Han Gan.
The Tang are great protectors of the arts. Narrative paintings feature groups in complex situations, with picturesque detail. The Taizong emperor also inaugurates the Tang's passion for the horse, that indispensable auxiliary of the warrior. He commissions the portraits of his favorite horses to Yan Liben.
The Tang imperial horses are the subject of a selection, integrating the best foreign breeds. The peak is reached during the reign of Xuanzong. His stable is reputed to house 40,000 horses, some of which are specially trained to dance in front of the emperor. Polo, hunting and jousting are practiced with passion. The main horse painter is Chen Hong.
Around 750 CE the self-taught artist Han Gan is noted for his artistic talents and invited to collaborate with Chen Hong. Han Gan abandons stylization for realism. The portrait of a horse, sometimes with a rider or a groom, becomes his exclusive theme. Each animal is observed individually.
On March 15, 2017, Christie's sold at lot 509 for $ 17M including premium the image of a horse by Han Gan, 32 x 38 cm, very readable but heavily cracked. The animal with an elegant two-tone hair walks with a dignified slowness. The colophon of the Qianlong emperor includes no less than twelve imperial seal marks and the artwork is listed in the catalogue of his collection, the Shiqu Baoji.
Xuanzong's long reign is culturally splendid and politically catastrophic. The emperor had abandoned management to devote himself to pleasures. He was deposited in 756 CE after a short civil war. This date is probably the terminus ante quem for an original painting by Han Gan.
1070-1100 Willows and Geese by Zhao Lingrang
2017 SOLD for $ 27M including premium by Christie's
narrated in 2020
Zhao Lingrang, a brother of the fifth Song emperor, painted scrolls and fans. He is a typical example of the prince-artist of the ancient Chinese dynasties.
He was active between 1070 and 1100 CE, which is a period of high refinement. He takes that opportunity to have an indolent life. He loves music, women, furs and horses. An art critic of his time, close to Su Shi, criticizes him for his immaturity.
Zhao does not travel : maybe his high rank does not allow it. He paints in a cool gentleness hazy ponds with ducks and geese, probably taking his inspiration from Tang artists.
A 33 x 93 cm handscroll in ink and color on silk showing willows and geese was sold for $ 27M including premium by Christie's on March 15, 2017, lot 511 in the auction from the Fujita Museum Collection.
This work is not signed. The attribution to Zhao Lingrang is authenticated by a set of thirteen colophons from the period of transition between Southern Song and Yuan. It also bears 27 collectors' seals including six from the Qianlong emperor and one from the Jiaqing emperor. It is listed in the Shiqu Baoji which is the catalogue of the Qing imperial collection.
He was active between 1070 and 1100 CE, which is a period of high refinement. He takes that opportunity to have an indolent life. He loves music, women, furs and horses. An art critic of his time, close to Su Shi, criticizes him for his immaturity.
Zhao does not travel : maybe his high rank does not allow it. He paints in a cool gentleness hazy ponds with ducks and geese, probably taking his inspiration from Tang artists.
A 33 x 93 cm handscroll in ink and color on silk showing willows and geese was sold for $ 27M including premium by Christie's on March 15, 2017, lot 511 in the auction from the Fujita Museum Collection.
This work is not signed. The attribution to Zhao Lingrang is authenticated by a set of thirteen colophons from the period of transition between Southern Song and Yuan. It also bears 27 collectors' seals including six from the Qianlong emperor and one from the Jiaqing emperor. It is listed in the Shiqu Baoji which is the catalogue of the Qing imperial collection.
Northern Song - The Tree of the Calligrapher
2018 SOLD for HK$ 460M including premium
Under the Song, the literati are philosophers and humanists who sometimes have the audacity to oppose imperial politics. Their supreme mode of expression is calligraphy, which conveys to their readers the firmness and rhythm of their thought.
In 1071 CE, Su Shi had been expelled from the capital, starting at the age of 34 a second career as a provincial servant with increasingly mediocre missions despite his immense talent. He died in 1101. His younger friend Mi Fu escaped political persecution by his reputation for eccentricity. They were the two best calligraphers in their lifetime.
A nine-character autograph message on a 28 x 9.5 cm sheet sent by Su Shi to the governor of a locality that he was leaving was sold for $ 8.2M including premium by Sotheby's on September 19, 2013.
Graphic art is exceptional in their works. The movement of the artist's hand is the same as for calligraphy. The rare drawings by Su Shi translate emotions too deep to be expressed in words. Mi Fu will only paint in the last years of his life, mostly after Su Shi's death.
On November 26 in Hong Kong, Christie's sells as lot 8008 a 26 x 50 cm ink on paper painted by Su Shi. This piece is extended by many colophons including an appreciation calligraphed by Mi Fu, and includes many seals. Please watch two videos shared by the auction house.
The image consists of two elements that join together : a leafless tree twisted into several undulations and a bulky rock. The dryness of the tree expresses the desolation of the artist in his exile while at the opposite edge on the left flank of the rock the sparse bamboos bring the hope of a new vitality.
In 1071 CE, Su Shi had been expelled from the capital, starting at the age of 34 a second career as a provincial servant with increasingly mediocre missions despite his immense talent. He died in 1101. His younger friend Mi Fu escaped political persecution by his reputation for eccentricity. They were the two best calligraphers in their lifetime.
A nine-character autograph message on a 28 x 9.5 cm sheet sent by Su Shi to the governor of a locality that he was leaving was sold for $ 8.2M including premium by Sotheby's on September 19, 2013.
Graphic art is exceptional in their works. The movement of the artist's hand is the same as for calligraphy. The rare drawings by Su Shi translate emotions too deep to be expressed in words. Mi Fu will only paint in the last years of his life, mostly after Su Shi's death.
On November 26 in Hong Kong, Christie's sells as lot 8008 a 26 x 50 cm ink on paper painted by Su Shi. This piece is extended by many colophons including an appreciation calligraphed by Mi Fu, and includes many seals. Please watch two videos shared by the auction house.
The image consists of two elements that join together : a leafless tree twisted into several undulations and a bulky rock. The dryness of the tree expresses the desolation of the artist in his exile while at the opposite edge on the left flank of the rock the sparse bamboos bring the hope of a new vitality.
Christie’s Announces 1000-year-old $50m Su Shi Scroll https://t.co/eVdovdYFyr pic.twitter.com/XpeTTOdBby
— Art Market Monitor (@artmarket) August 30, 2018
Treaty of Bianqiao by Li Gonglin
2017 SOLD for $ 17.6M including premium by Christie's
narrated in 2020
Li Gonglin, active between 1070 and 1095 CE, was one of the most prolific painters of the Northern Song period. His artist name was Li Longmian. His drawings were done in black ink on paper without adding colors. He was Mi Fu's mentor.
The Shiqu Baoji of the Qing lists 107 of his works, on much varied themes : Confucian, Taoist, butterflies, flowers, landscapes, portraits, horses. The sharpness of the line makes it possible to express the diversity of personalities in a group.
Li created several works on the theme of Guo Ziyi's intervention against the Tibetans. After the fall of the Tang emperor Xuanzong in 756 CE, Guo fought against the rebels. The Tibetans threatened to invade China with a powerful army. Guo obtained the decisive tribute of the Uyghurs without a battle by appearing like a ghost after the fake news of his death. He is the general who did not deign to become an emperor.
A drawing by Li in the National Palace Museum in Taipei illustrates Guo's negotiation with the Uyghur leader in 765 CE. The barbarians are different from the Chinese by their distorted face, their bulging nose, their poorly trimmed beard and their motley clothing.
On March 15, 2017, Christie's sold as lot 508 for $ 17.6M including premium a 26 cm x 9 m handscroll by Li Gonglin titled Treaty of Bianqiao, which is another example of this ancient ethnographic interpretation.
In the central scene, the barbarians come to negotiate in two groups. The group on the left carries the standards. The other includes the cavalry. The warriors wear their bows overflowing from a quiver which hangs from the belt. In front of and behind them the landscape is minimalist in the style of Su Shi. The Chinese headquarter is on the left side of the scroll. At the end of the story, acrobats on flying horses celebrate the Chinese victory.
The Shiqu Baoji of the Qing lists 107 of his works, on much varied themes : Confucian, Taoist, butterflies, flowers, landscapes, portraits, horses. The sharpness of the line makes it possible to express the diversity of personalities in a group.
Li created several works on the theme of Guo Ziyi's intervention against the Tibetans. After the fall of the Tang emperor Xuanzong in 756 CE, Guo fought against the rebels. The Tibetans threatened to invade China with a powerful army. Guo obtained the decisive tribute of the Uyghurs without a battle by appearing like a ghost after the fake news of his death. He is the general who did not deign to become an emperor.
A drawing by Li in the National Palace Museum in Taipei illustrates Guo's negotiation with the Uyghur leader in 765 CE. The barbarians are different from the Chinese by their distorted face, their bulging nose, their poorly trimmed beard and their motley clothing.
On March 15, 2017, Christie's sold as lot 508 for $ 17.6M including premium a 26 cm x 9 m handscroll by Li Gonglin titled Treaty of Bianqiao, which is another example of this ancient ethnographic interpretation.
In the central scene, the barbarians come to negotiate in two groups. The group on the left carries the standards. The other includes the cavalry. The warriors wear their bows overflowing from a quiver which hangs from the belt. In front of and behind them the landscape is minimalist in the style of Su Shi. The Chinese headquarter is on the left side of the scroll. At the end of the story, acrobats on flying horses celebrate the Chinese victory.
1244 Six Sons of the Dragon King
2017 SOLD for $ 49M including premium
The dragons, symbols of the emperor and his family, know how to confront the forces of nature. Their sinuous bodies sail like in weightlessness amidst clouds and waves. The varied expressions of their faces are always vigorous.
The hand scroll is an art much more refined than a mere drawing. The image is read from right to left as it is unfolded, offering the scene of a real action. The paper should also be exquisite in the touch.
Towards the end of the Southern Song Dynasty, the artist Chen Rong pushed his ink pictures of dragons to the rank of masterpieces. His scrolls were much admired by the Qianlong emperor who commented on the colophons and stamped his seals.
The drawing of the fabulous beast by Chen Rong is sharp and detailed, in contrast to its wet surrounding realized by an original method of ink spraying. In the Taoist tradition, such a scene is a magical summon to rain.
The Boston Museum retains a scroll starring nine young sons of the Dragon King, 46 cm high for 15 m long, including on the painting two autograph inscriptions that provide an estimate of the date of the artwork at 1244 of our calendar.
On March 15 in New York, Christie's sells a scroll featuring six dragons in a style similar as in the Boston specimen. Signed by one seal of the artist, it is 35 cm high with a length of 4.40 m for the image and 83 cm for the calligraphy. De-accessioned from the Fujita Museum in Osaka, this artwork is estimated $ 1,2M, lot 507. It is handled for our pleasure in the video shared by the auction house.
The hand scroll is an art much more refined than a mere drawing. The image is read from right to left as it is unfolded, offering the scene of a real action. The paper should also be exquisite in the touch.
Towards the end of the Southern Song Dynasty, the artist Chen Rong pushed his ink pictures of dragons to the rank of masterpieces. His scrolls were much admired by the Qianlong emperor who commented on the colophons and stamped his seals.
The drawing of the fabulous beast by Chen Rong is sharp and detailed, in contrast to its wet surrounding realized by an original method of ink spraying. In the Taoist tradition, such a scene is a magical summon to rain.
The Boston Museum retains a scroll starring nine young sons of the Dragon King, 46 cm high for 15 m long, including on the painting two autograph inscriptions that provide an estimate of the date of the artwork at 1244 of our calendar.
On March 15 in New York, Christie's sells a scroll featuring six dragons in a style similar as in the Boston specimen. Signed by one seal of the artist, it is 35 cm high with a length of 4.40 m for the image and 83 cm for the calligraphy. De-accessioned from the Fujita Museum in Osaka, this artwork is estimated $ 1,2M, lot 507. It is handled for our pleasure in the video shared by the auction house.
Six Dragons handscroll attributed to Chen Rong, from the Fujita Museum sold for $48,967,500 against high estimate of $1.8m #AsianArtWeek pic.twitter.com/rbMbIyub5P
— Christie's (@ChristiesInc) March 15, 2017
Yuan - The Good Life of the Ancient Princes
2016 SOLD for RMB 303M yuan including premium
2020 SOLD for HK$ 307M including premium
PRE 2020 SALE DISCUSSION
On November 29, 2009, Christie's sold for HK $ 46.6M including premium a painting by Ren Renfa titled Five Drunken Kings Return on Horses, lot 815.
Before Christie's sale, I had discussed this unusual and nice picture as follows :
"It is a hand scroll 2.10 m long and 35 cm high painted in ink and colors. There are nine characters overall. The kings are riding in vacillating attitudes and four grooms attend to assure that their honorable masters will not fall.
"The artist was named Ren Renfa and lived under the Yuan dynasty 700 years ago. He was following a tradition dating back to the Tang dynasty for pictures of horses of great beauty.
"The irreverent nature of the theme is a proof of wittiness rare in art history suggesting an artistic freedom at the time of the Mongolian rule."
Although his work is not uncommon, Ren Renfa was probably not a professional artist : he made his career as an imperial official in charge of the regulation of rivers.
This item was sold for RMB 303M including premium by Poly on December 4, 2016, lot 4050. It had been reported by ChinaDaily as the highest paid Chinese artwork at auction that year. The Poly catalogue had provided detailed informations.
It is in a very good contrast in spite of its age and has been carefully analyzed. The paper is conformant to the Song patterns and is earlier than the Ming. The scroll includes ancient colophons as well as the seals of three Qing emperors.
According to the opinion of a Ming scholar official, the drunken characters are the five sons of a Tang emperor. The leading prince riding a magnificent black horse is the future emperor Xuanzong whose love of pleasures will much later trigger a civil war against his dynasty.
The procession of drunken princes by Ren displays revealing similarities in its composition with an elegant promenade of women painted two centuries earlier by the Song artist Li Longmian and preserved at the Taiwan Museum.
The scroll of the Drunken Princes is now estimated HK$ 80M for sale by Sotheby's in Hong Kong on October 8, lot 2575. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
On November 29, 2009, Christie's sold for HK $ 46.6M including premium a painting by Ren Renfa titled Five Drunken Kings Return on Horses, lot 815.
Before Christie's sale, I had discussed this unusual and nice picture as follows :
"It is a hand scroll 2.10 m long and 35 cm high painted in ink and colors. There are nine characters overall. The kings are riding in vacillating attitudes and four grooms attend to assure that their honorable masters will not fall.
"The artist was named Ren Renfa and lived under the Yuan dynasty 700 years ago. He was following a tradition dating back to the Tang dynasty for pictures of horses of great beauty.
"The irreverent nature of the theme is a proof of wittiness rare in art history suggesting an artistic freedom at the time of the Mongolian rule."
Although his work is not uncommon, Ren Renfa was probably not a professional artist : he made his career as an imperial official in charge of the regulation of rivers.
This item was sold for RMB 303M including premium by Poly on December 4, 2016, lot 4050. It had been reported by ChinaDaily as the highest paid Chinese artwork at auction that year. The Poly catalogue had provided detailed informations.
It is in a very good contrast in spite of its age and has been carefully analyzed. The paper is conformant to the Song patterns and is earlier than the Ming. The scroll includes ancient colophons as well as the seals of three Qing emperors.
According to the opinion of a Ming scholar official, the drunken characters are the five sons of a Tang emperor. The leading prince riding a magnificent black horse is the future emperor Xuanzong whose love of pleasures will much later trigger a civil war against his dynasty.
The procession of drunken princes by Ren displays revealing similarities in its composition with an elegant promenade of women painted two centuries earlier by the Song artist Li Longmian and preserved at the Taiwan Museum.
The scroll of the Drunken Princes is now estimated HK$ 80M for sale by Sotheby's in Hong Kong on October 8, lot 2575. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
1350 The Story of Ge Hong
2011 SOLD for RMB 400M including premium by Poly
narrated in 2020
The Chinese culture comes from a very strong literary tradition mixed with mysticism. In the 11th century CE, Mi Fu opened the way to the themes of the literate landscape, and for several centuries the graphic arts were often devoted to these ancient stories.
On June 4, 2011, Poly sold for RMB 400M including premium a hanging scroll painted in ink and wash circa 1350 CE by Wang Meng on the theme of the migration of Ge Hong to the sacred mountains. The provenance of this artwork has been established over six centuries. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
Born into a family of artists, Wang Meng is considered as one of the four literati masters of the Yuan dynasty. His graphic style is very dense, with the energy of a calligrapher.
Ge Hong, also named Ge Zhichuan, lived 1000 years before Wang in the Eastern Jin dynasty. Nicknamed the Little Immortal Old Man, he was an alchemist, a doctor and above all a Taoist master. He was going to study the secrets of immortality in the Luofu mountains. He stayed there for eight years. The image by Wang shows Ge and his suite passing through a valley under a very rocky landscape. Seven poems have been added.
The Palace Museum in Beijing has a 139 x 58 cm scroll by the same artist on the same theme, dated around 1360, with another landscape in an oblique perspective, showing in the best Chinese graphic tradition the smallness of a great sage in the immense nature.
On June 4, 2011, Poly sold for RMB 400M including premium a hanging scroll painted in ink and wash circa 1350 CE by Wang Meng on the theme of the migration of Ge Hong to the sacred mountains. The provenance of this artwork has been established over six centuries. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
Born into a family of artists, Wang Meng is considered as one of the four literati masters of the Yuan dynasty. His graphic style is very dense, with the energy of a calligrapher.
Ge Hong, also named Ge Zhichuan, lived 1000 years before Wang in the Eastern Jin dynasty. Nicknamed the Little Immortal Old Man, he was an alchemist, a doctor and above all a Taoist master. He was going to study the secrets of immortality in the Luofu mountains. He stayed there for eight years. The image by Wang shows Ge and his suite passing through a valley under a very rocky landscape. Seven poems have been added.
The Palace Museum in Beijing has a 139 x 58 cm scroll by the same artist on the same theme, dated around 1360, with another landscape in an oblique perspective, showing in the best Chinese graphic tradition the smallness of a great sage in the immense nature.
Wanli - scroll painting by Wu Bin on a journey of 18 monks
2009 SOLD 170 M RMB yuan including premium by Poly
1747 The Grand Parade of Qianlong
2011 SOLD 22 M€ including premium
Qianlong was only 24 when he became emperor of China. For establishing his authority, he has prepared a huge military parade in the best tradition of the Qing Dynasty. It will be held early in the fourth year of his reign.
The objective is achieved: the power of the young emperor is not disputed. To the delight of current enthusiasts and historians, Qianlong was to become the most important art collector and patron of all time.
At the tenth year of his reign, Qianlong wants to fix the memory of this great revue. He orders the artist Jin Kun to realize four huge scrolls on silk with the help of the official court painters. Fifteen months later (1747 in our calendar), the four works are ready to be assembled in their presentation boxes.
These paintings show the festivities in a chronological order. The second, 68 x 1757 cm, is kept at the Palace Museum in Beijing. The third, 68 cm x 1550, was sold HK $ 68M including premium by Sotheby's on October 8, 2008. The catalog of that sale indicated that the other two were lost.
A miracle happened. No. I do not believe in miracles.
The market for ancient Chinese art has been so boosted for two years (indeed from after the scandal of the bronzes of the Saint-Laurent - Bergé collection) that the treasures come out of the attics: the fourth scroll is retrieved!
With the same height as the others, it is the longest: the incredible multitude of troops occupies 18 m of image. A primer including testimonials and seals increases this length to 24 m, on a diameter of 12 cm when rolled.
This treasure is estimated € 2M, for sale by Marc Labarbe in Toulouse on March 26.
POST SALE COMMENT
The scroll was sold € 17.8 million before fees, 22 million including premium.
The significant difference in price with the auction of 2008 is mainly due to the cultural awakening of China for the most outstanding treasures of its history.
This new price is perfectly understandable and deserved.
The objective is achieved: the power of the young emperor is not disputed. To the delight of current enthusiasts and historians, Qianlong was to become the most important art collector and patron of all time.
At the tenth year of his reign, Qianlong wants to fix the memory of this great revue. He orders the artist Jin Kun to realize four huge scrolls on silk with the help of the official court painters. Fifteen months later (1747 in our calendar), the four works are ready to be assembled in their presentation boxes.
These paintings show the festivities in a chronological order. The second, 68 x 1757 cm, is kept at the Palace Museum in Beijing. The third, 68 cm x 1550, was sold HK $ 68M including premium by Sotheby's on October 8, 2008. The catalog of that sale indicated that the other two were lost.
A miracle happened. No. I do not believe in miracles.
The market for ancient Chinese art has been so boosted for two years (indeed from after the scandal of the bronzes of the Saint-Laurent - Bergé collection) that the treasures come out of the attics: the fourth scroll is retrieved!
With the same height as the others, it is the longest: the incredible multitude of troops occupies 18 m of image. A primer including testimonials and seals increases this length to 24 m, on a diameter of 12 cm when rolled.
This treasure is estimated € 2M, for sale by Marc Labarbe in Toulouse on March 26.
POST SALE COMMENT
The scroll was sold € 17.8 million before fees, 22 million including premium.
The significant difference in price with the auction of 2008 is mainly due to the cultural awakening of China for the most outstanding treasures of its history.
This new price is perfectly understandable and deserved.
1760 The Official Portrait of a Concubine
2015 SOLD for HK$ 137M including premium
The Kangxi Emperor favored the contact with Europe. By the 49th year of his reign, the court accepted a suggestion of the Jesuits to invite a painter. The candidature of the lay brother Giuseppe Castiglione was accepted.
Castiglione arrived in Beijing in the 54th year of Kangxi, 1715 in our calendar. The skills of this young man aged 27 appealed to the emperor and he became a court painter under the name Lang Shining. He never left the imperial court. In his outstanding career that lasted half a century without harm or conflict, he assimilated the traditional techniques of Chinese graphic art without forgetting his original training.
The court painters were considered as imperial officials and did not sign their works. Lang Shining and his studio are credited with near certainty for the paintings that incorporate such Western features like perspective or like the shades that enhance the realism of the face.
The official portraits of the Emperor and his favorite Ladies are a tradition in the Chinese court. In the first year of Qianlong, a scroll shows the Emperor and the Empress aside with no less than eleven consort spouses.
One of these eleven concubines remained a favorite until her death in the 25th year of Qianlong, 1760 of our calendar, when this former commoner had just reached the highest position behind the Empress. On October 7 in Hong Kong, Sotheby's sells as lot 3202 her portrait where she is designated in a calligraphy by the emperor's hand under the name of her ultimate dignity, Imperial Noble Consort Chunhui.
According to the imperial tradition, the Lady is sitting on a magnificent throne. She is wearing a robe of highest luxury and a long chain necklace. The face is young and smooth for this woman who died at the age of 47, but the original portrait with the other concubines had certainly served as a modello. The press release of September 1 announces an expected price in excess of HK $ 60M.
The artwork for sale by Sotheby's is a hanging scroll in ink and colors on silk 198 x 123 cm. It is shared on Wikimedia (see below).
On 27 May 2012, Bonhams sold for HK $ 40M including premium a portrait up the waist of the same favorite, oil on paper 55 x 42 cm.
Castiglione arrived in Beijing in the 54th year of Kangxi, 1715 in our calendar. The skills of this young man aged 27 appealed to the emperor and he became a court painter under the name Lang Shining. He never left the imperial court. In his outstanding career that lasted half a century without harm or conflict, he assimilated the traditional techniques of Chinese graphic art without forgetting his original training.
The court painters were considered as imperial officials and did not sign their works. Lang Shining and his studio are credited with near certainty for the paintings that incorporate such Western features like perspective or like the shades that enhance the realism of the face.
The official portraits of the Emperor and his favorite Ladies are a tradition in the Chinese court. In the first year of Qianlong, a scroll shows the Emperor and the Empress aside with no less than eleven consort spouses.
One of these eleven concubines remained a favorite until her death in the 25th year of Qianlong, 1760 of our calendar, when this former commoner had just reached the highest position behind the Empress. On October 7 in Hong Kong, Sotheby's sells as lot 3202 her portrait where she is designated in a calligraphy by the emperor's hand under the name of her ultimate dignity, Imperial Noble Consort Chunhui.
According to the imperial tradition, the Lady is sitting on a magnificent throne. She is wearing a robe of highest luxury and a long chain necklace. The face is young and smooth for this woman who died at the age of 47, but the original portrait with the other concubines had certainly served as a modello. The press release of September 1 announces an expected price in excess of HK $ 60M.
The artwork for sale by Sotheby's is a hanging scroll in ink and colors on silk 198 x 123 cm. It is shared on Wikimedia (see below).
On 27 May 2012, Bonhams sold for HK $ 40M including premium a portrait up the waist of the same favorite, oil on paper 55 x 42 cm.
1762-1772 A Mandarin in the Mountains
2018 SOLD for HK$ 147M including premium
The very important inspection trips of the Kangxi emperor had a major role in consolidating the Southern provinces. Isolated regions therein must also join the civilization.
The coastal province of Zhejiang is the subject of a freeing campaign in 1727 CE during the reign of Yongzheng. The Qianlong emperor remains vigilant. During his 27th year, 1762 CE, he appoints as Education Commissioner of Zhejiang for a three-year mission one of his most brilliant mandarins named Qian Weicheng.
Qian's career is a very good example of the extreme and multidisciplinary skills required to the mandarins. Received at the examinations at the age of 23 in the tenth year of Qianlong, he had become as a jurist an important member of the imperial bureaucracy. Poet, calligrapher and artist, he knows how to imitate the ancients. His poetry is pleasant and original.
In the tradition of the Qing imperial travels, Qian executes landscape drawings of the Zhejiang in handscrolls of great length. His view of the Yandang Mountains has been preserved.
On April 3 in Hong Kong, Sotheby's sells a 34 cm high scroll of ten landscapes of Mount Tiantai, for a total length of 4.60 m. It is estimated HK $ 50M, lot 3301.
The drawing without washes is of a topographical accuracy and includes the Buddhist monasteries and some human presence. Yet Qian, who had visited Yandang, did not walk Tiantai personally as his tour plans were each time abandoned due to bad weather. He was probably relying upon pre-existing images to avoid confessing this failure.
Each of the ten views is accompanied by a long descriptive commentary by Qian and by an autograph poem written by Qianlong and dated by him in 1774 CE, two years after the death of the artist. The artwork was removed from the Palace in the early 1920s by the last deposed Qing emperor in an effort to protect the imperial patrimony from looters.
Please watch the video shared by Sotheby's including the vision of moving grounds often practiced by this auction house.
The coastal province of Zhejiang is the subject of a freeing campaign in 1727 CE during the reign of Yongzheng. The Qianlong emperor remains vigilant. During his 27th year, 1762 CE, he appoints as Education Commissioner of Zhejiang for a three-year mission one of his most brilliant mandarins named Qian Weicheng.
Qian's career is a very good example of the extreme and multidisciplinary skills required to the mandarins. Received at the examinations at the age of 23 in the tenth year of Qianlong, he had become as a jurist an important member of the imperial bureaucracy. Poet, calligrapher and artist, he knows how to imitate the ancients. His poetry is pleasant and original.
In the tradition of the Qing imperial travels, Qian executes landscape drawings of the Zhejiang in handscrolls of great length. His view of the Yandang Mountains has been preserved.
On April 3 in Hong Kong, Sotheby's sells a 34 cm high scroll of ten landscapes of Mount Tiantai, for a total length of 4.60 m. It is estimated HK $ 50M, lot 3301.
The drawing without washes is of a topographical accuracy and includes the Buddhist monasteries and some human presence. Yet Qian, who had visited Yandang, did not walk Tiantai personally as his tour plans were each time abandoned due to bad weather. He was probably relying upon pre-existing images to avoid confessing this failure.
Each of the ten views is accompanied by a long descriptive commentary by Qian and by an autograph poem written by Qianlong and dated by him in 1774 CE, two years after the death of the artist. The artwork was removed from the Palace in the early 1920s by the last deposed Qing emperor in an effort to protect the imperial patrimony from looters.
Please watch the video shared by Sotheby's including the vision of moving grounds often practiced by this auction house.
