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FROM THE COLLECTION OF PROFESSOR WEN FONG (LOTS 822-823)A towering figure in the history of Chinese art, Wen Fong (1930-2018) was born in Shanghai and earned his doctoral degree from Princeton University, where he taught Chinese art history from 1954 until his retirement in 1999. Concurrent with his contributions at Princeton, he served from 1971 to 2000 as a special consultant to the Department of Asian Art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. His vision shaped the Met’s collection of Asian art and drove important acquisitions, adding masterpieces to the Museum’s world-renowned collection. Professor Fong was a prolific scholar, educator and connoisseur who trained generations of art historians and contributed to seminal publications on Chinese art. Part of Professor Fong’s personal collection was offered by Christie’s in May 2016 and achieved exceptional results.
WANG YUANQI (1642-1715)
Landscape after Song and Yuan Masters
Details
WANG YUANQI (1642-1715)
Landscape after Song and Yuan Masters
A set of eleven loose album leaves, ink and colour/ink on paper
Each leaf measures 35 x 30.2 cm. (13 3/4 x 11 7/8 in.)
Ten leaves of painting: eight leaves inscribed and two leaves inscribed and signed, with a total of twelve seals of the artist
First leaf dated spring, wuzi year (1708)
One leaf of colophon by the artist, dated winter, wuzi year (1708) with three seals
Five collector’s seals including two of Wu Weiguang (1743-1803)
Titleslip by Wu Weiguang, dated gengshen year (1800), signed with two seals
Note:
The youngest of the artists collectively known as the Four Wangs of the early Qing, Wang Yuanqi (1642-1715) was tutored by his grandfather, the prominent artist Wang Shimin (1592-1680). Like his grandfather, he advocated the emulation of the work of the Song and Yuan masters, which formed the foundation of the orthodox style of painting. A prominent court official, he served as the keeper of the imperial collection and often accompanied Kangxi in viewings. It is recorded that the Emperor also enjoyed observing him during the act of painting.
Painted from spring to winter over the course of 1708, Landscape after Song and Yuan Masters dates to the height of artist’s late period as Wang Yuanqi notes in his colophon, in the quiet moments during his service at the Changchun Garden. Each leaf interprets the style of an earlier artist, including Wu Zhen, Lu Hong, Dong Yuan, Wang Meng, Huang Gongwang, Ni Zan, Mi Youren, Cao Zhibai, Li Cheng, Ju Ran and Guo Xi. Reducing the artists’ schema to abstract geometric forms, his brushwork is assured and confident, undoubtedly benefitting from the rare experience of viewing calligraphy and paintings in imperial collection for many years.
1708 was also the year Paintings and Calligraphy in Peiwen Studio, the compilation of the imperial collection which Wang Yuanqi presided over and supervised, was completed. In the colophon of Landscape after Song and Yuan Masters, he proposes that learning from the style of the masters should not be limited to mere imitation. Drawing inspiration from the masters of the Song and Yuan dynasties, the present album is a testament to the artist’s wish to ‘express my own perspective’. Also of note is that each leaf bears a different artist’s seal, with no repetition, suggesting that Wang Yuanqi took particular care in completing the album. The album was collected by collectors including Wu Weiguang (1743-1803) and Miao Qi (1821-1885).
Landscape after Song and Yuan Masters
A set of eleven loose album leaves, ink and colour/ink on paper
Each leaf measures 35 x 30.2 cm. (13 3/4 x 11 7/8 in.)
Ten leaves of painting: eight leaves inscribed and two leaves inscribed and signed, with a total of twelve seals of the artist
First leaf dated spring, wuzi year (1708)
One leaf of colophon by the artist, dated winter, wuzi year (1708) with three seals
Five collector’s seals including two of Wu Weiguang (1743-1803)
Titleslip by Wu Weiguang, dated gengshen year (1800), signed with two seals
Note:
The youngest of the artists collectively known as the Four Wangs of the early Qing, Wang Yuanqi (1642-1715) was tutored by his grandfather, the prominent artist Wang Shimin (1592-1680). Like his grandfather, he advocated the emulation of the work of the Song and Yuan masters, which formed the foundation of the orthodox style of painting. A prominent court official, he served as the keeper of the imperial collection and often accompanied Kangxi in viewings. It is recorded that the Emperor also enjoyed observing him during the act of painting.
Painted from spring to winter over the course of 1708, Landscape after Song and Yuan Masters dates to the height of artist’s late period as Wang Yuanqi notes in his colophon, in the quiet moments during his service at the Changchun Garden. Each leaf interprets the style of an earlier artist, including Wu Zhen, Lu Hong, Dong Yuan, Wang Meng, Huang Gongwang, Ni Zan, Mi Youren, Cao Zhibai, Li Cheng, Ju Ran and Guo Xi. Reducing the artists’ schema to abstract geometric forms, his brushwork is assured and confident, undoubtedly benefitting from the rare experience of viewing calligraphy and paintings in imperial collection for many years.
1708 was also the year Paintings and Calligraphy in Peiwen Studio, the compilation of the imperial collection which Wang Yuanqi presided over and supervised, was completed. In the colophon of Landscape after Song and Yuan Masters, he proposes that learning from the style of the masters should not be limited to mere imitation. Drawing inspiration from the masters of the Song and Yuan dynasties, the present album is a testament to the artist’s wish to ‘express my own perspective’. Also of note is that each leaf bears a different artist’s seal, with no repetition, suggesting that Wang Yuanqi took particular care in completing the album. The album was collected by collectors including Wu Weiguang (1743-1803) and Miao Qi (1821-1885).
Literature
Kei Suzuki ed., Comprehensive Illustrated Catalog of Chinese Paintings: Vol. 1 American Collections, Private Collection, University of Tokyo Press, Tokyo, 1983, pp. I-167-168, pl. A18-033.