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Lot Essay
(US$64,500-90,300)
NOTES:
I.
This painting is very similar when compared to the painting, Evening in the Autumn Hills, in the National Palace Museum, Taipei. The outlining of the mountains and their composition, and the texture strokes used to articulate and build up the rocks, are all comparable and can be assumed to be by the same hand. (see comparative illustrations)
II.
1. Many of the colophons on the separate hanging scroll are poetic accolade given to Guan Tong and his brilliance in paintings. However, the three inscriptions by Yilou are of particular interest. According to Yilou, the inscription on the painting previously believed to be by Emperor Huizhong of the Northern Song was incorrect because he had made a lot of comparsions of the calligraphy of Huizhong with that on this scroll. However, when he was one day airing the painting in the sun, he discovered several half characters in the upper left hand corner of the scroll. Three were legible, yi, gui, and huan. He did not understand the meaning of these characters on the painting until one day when he came across the Song Shi (History of Song) and the chapter on Huizhong's third son, Zhao Kai, Prince Yun. The Prince was also known as huan (character with an added 'fire' radical), and was also Weiguo Gong (Duke of Wei). The Prince was an avid collector and received a large amount of gifts of paintings and calligraphy from his father the Emperor Huizhong. The three characters Yilou could decipher in fact form the right hand side of an inscription which reads 'Ci Wei Guo Gong Huan'. Accordingly, Yilou believes that the inscription on the painting is actually by Prince Yun and not Emperor Huizhong, and the Seal Zi Gong Shi Bao is a collector's seal of the Prince.
2. His second inscription stated that Yilou saw a painting by Li Gonglin in his friend's house, and the painting was inscribed by Prince Yun. The calligraphy on both paintings are comparable in mood and strokes. On the Li Gonglin painting, the inscription of the Prince includes six characters, 'Xuanhe Jichen Yun Wang', and the scroll is recorded by Wang Keyu.
3. The third inscription by Yilou states his further historical findings. According to the Song Shi chapter on Prince Yun, he did not become Prince Yun until the Xuanhe era ((1119-1126). Before then, He was Weiguo Gong. The inscription on this scroll is dated in xinmao year in the Zhenghe era (1111), and falls within the time when the Prince was still only a duke, Hence the inscription confirms the historical records in the Song Shi, and vice versa.
4. Shi Fenghui was also know as Nanyu. He was a native of Yixing, Jiagnsu, and passed the provincial Imperial examinations to become a juren in jiyou year in the Yongzheng era (1729). Shi was appointed neige Zhongshu, overseeing all confidential documents in court. At the start of the Qianlong era, he was recommended to take part and was awarded a place in the Boxue Hongci examinations.
NOTES:
I.
This painting is very similar when compared to the painting, Evening in the Autumn Hills, in the National Palace Museum, Taipei. The outlining of the mountains and their composition, and the texture strokes used to articulate and build up the rocks, are all comparable and can be assumed to be by the same hand. (see comparative illustrations)
II.
1. Many of the colophons on the separate hanging scroll are poetic accolade given to Guan Tong and his brilliance in paintings. However, the three inscriptions by Yilou are of particular interest. According to Yilou, the inscription on the painting previously believed to be by Emperor Huizhong of the Northern Song was incorrect because he had made a lot of comparsions of the calligraphy of Huizhong with that on this scroll. However, when he was one day airing the painting in the sun, he discovered several half characters in the upper left hand corner of the scroll. Three were legible, yi, gui, and huan. He did not understand the meaning of these characters on the painting until one day when he came across the Song Shi (History of Song) and the chapter on Huizhong's third son, Zhao Kai, Prince Yun. The Prince was also known as huan (character with an added 'fire' radical), and was also Weiguo Gong (Duke of Wei). The Prince was an avid collector and received a large amount of gifts of paintings and calligraphy from his father the Emperor Huizhong. The three characters Yilou could decipher in fact form the right hand side of an inscription which reads 'Ci Wei Guo Gong Huan'. Accordingly, Yilou believes that the inscription on the painting is actually by Prince Yun and not Emperor Huizhong, and the Seal Zi Gong Shi Bao is a collector's seal of the Prince.
2. His second inscription stated that Yilou saw a painting by Li Gonglin in his friend's house, and the painting was inscribed by Prince Yun. The calligraphy on both paintings are comparable in mood and strokes. On the Li Gonglin painting, the inscription of the Prince includes six characters, 'Xuanhe Jichen Yun Wang', and the scroll is recorded by Wang Keyu.
3. The third inscription by Yilou states his further historical findings. According to the Song Shi chapter on Prince Yun, he did not become Prince Yun until the Xuanhe era ((1119-1126). Before then, He was Weiguo Gong. The inscription on this scroll is dated in xinmao year in the Zhenghe era (1111), and falls within the time when the Prince was still only a duke, Hence the inscription confirms the historical records in the Song Shi, and vice versa.
4. Shi Fenghui was also know as Nanyu. He was a native of Yixing, Jiagnsu, and passed the provincial Imperial examinations to become a juren in jiyou year in the Yongzheng era (1729). Shi was appointed neige Zhongshu, overseeing all confidential documents in court. At the start of the Qianlong era, he was recommended to take part and was awarded a place in the Boxue Hongci examinations.