Standing Horse

Details

XU BEIHONG (1895-1953)
Standing Horse
Hanging scroll, ink on paper
110.5 x 54.5 cm. (43 ½ x 21 ½ in.)
Inscribed and signed, with two seals of the artist
Dated summer, thirtieth year (of the Republic, 1941)
Dedicated to Jiaxun

Further details

The late Mr. Lim Yee Hoh was born in Malaysia into a Hokkien family in 1924. His grandparents immigrated to Malaysia from Fujian Province in the late 1800s and started a business in rubber plantations, trading, and processing as the Yee Seng Group. Lim Yee Hoh was active in Malaysia’s various Chinese and Hokkien communities.
Apart from being a well-established business personality in Malaysia, Lim Yee Hoh was fond of art and music and also actively devoted himself to philanthropy. He was a generous patron of the arts, providing funds to the local symphony orchestras and supporting the development of the local arts scene. Lim often travelled between Hong Kong and Singapore for business, using his spare time to collect works of art from galleries and auction houses. He accumulated an impressive art collection over the years, especially works by modern and contemporary artists.

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Lot Essay

The recipient of the painting, Jiaxun, refers to Zhuang Jiaxun (1908-1999), originally from Hui’an, Fujian Province. Zhuang worked as a clerk at the Penang Southern Hotel run by his in-law Loh Cheng Chuan (1907-1966). In 1941, Xu Beihong left India and stopped by several cities such as Penang, Ipoh, and Kuala Lumpur on his way back. He held exhibitions en route and donated proceeds to support China against Japan’s invasion. In July 1941, when Xu Beihong stayed in Penang, Zhuang cared for him, and they became close friends. Xu gifted many paintings to Zhuang; the present work was painted then. The horse is saturated with ink; it seems to be neighing in the wind, ready to emerge from the painting. There are other works by Xu Beihong dedicated to Jiaxun in Lim Yee Hoh’s collection; Lim probably acquired the work directly from Zhuang’s family.

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