Lot Essay
Wang Siren (1576-1646) was born in the Zhejiang province. He passed the imperial examination in 1595, the twenty-third year of the Wanli era (1572-1620). The most senior governmental post held by Wang was Deputy Secretary for Rites. Wang's paintings, works of poetry and calligraphy were as famed as those by Dong Qichang (1555 - 1636) and Chen Jiru (1558 - 1639). In 1646, after his hometown Shaoxing was captured by the Qing army, Wang committed suicide by starving himself, aged 71.