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Lot Essay
In the Spring of 1941, Zhang Daqian embarked on the second journey to Dunhuang. By the end of the year, he approached Xining and planned to invite Tibetan lama painters to assist him in copying the Dunhuang cave murals. His son Zhang Xinzhi recalled, “While staying at the Kumbum Monastery, the timing was before, and after Chinese New Year, various ethnic communities all came to the monastery to worship wearing their traditional costumes. Taking this opportunity, Mr. Zhang (Daqian) brought his sketchbook to make quick drawings. Sometimes, he even went into the tents of Mongolian, Tibetan, and Tu people as a guest. During this period, he created many sketches based on the lives of ethnic minorities.” His later works on these subjects originated from this trip to Xining and were probably based on his accumulated sketches. Zhang painted most paintings featuring women from ethnic minorities and Tibetan mastiffs in the 1940s.
The inscription on a famed work by Zhang reads, “In the winter of the xinsi year (1941), I travelled from Hexi to Qinghai. On the fifteenth day of the first month, they celebrated the Lantern Festival at the Kumbum Monastery. Various tribes from Tibet and Mongolia all came for this occasion. I was fascinated by the costumes and makeup of many women from these tribes and hence painted Tibetan Girl Dancing.” The present work is likely inspired by the same occasion. Although undated, Zhang Daqian inscribed a special poem of 112 characters for the Lantern Festival, which he composed for a Tibetan lady in 1942.
In the present painting, Zhang Daqian skillfully applies thick cinnabar to embellish the lady’s outer dress, using fine brushstrokes to depict the delicate fur lining. The Tibetan girl adorns a long braid decorated with a colourful ribbon, and intricately painted patterns adorn her jewellery, accessories, and shoes, displaying exquisite detail. The composition, facial delineation of the girl, and the depiction of her hand gestures can be attributed to the influence of Dunhuang cave paintings on Zhang Daqian. A painting with a similar composition was featured in the 50th Anniversary of Chang Dai-chien: A Retrospective Exhibition in 1972 (fig). It was dated to the twelfth month of the guiwei year (1943). In this version, the Tibetan lady assumes a comparable pose; her back is turned towards the viewer, and she glances back, revealing a subtle smile. As she dances, her shoulders extend, and her right-hand holds a wine cup, reminiscent of a scene witnessed by Zhang Daqian during a festive banquet. Based on the brushwork and calligraphic style, the present work is believed to have been created in the early 1950s. When compared to other examples from the 1972 retrospective exhibition and a piece sold in the 2013 auction market, dated to the sixth month of the xinmao year (1951), the present work stands out due to its unique, lengthy inscription of Zhang’s lantern poem and the refined brushwork of the details. We can observe the elegant features of the girl’s face and the subtle patterns on the inner shirt, carefully delineated using white pigment mixed with powder. The artist’s choice of splashed gold paper adds further opulence to the piece, enhancing the significance of this artwork representing one of the artist’s most recognized subjects. The painting has been in the family collection of the present owner since the 1950s and is offered in the auction for the very first time. The present owner’s grandparents are originally from Shanghai and settled in Hong Kong before 1949.
The inscription on a famed work by Zhang reads, “In the winter of the xinsi year (1941), I travelled from Hexi to Qinghai. On the fifteenth day of the first month, they celebrated the Lantern Festival at the Kumbum Monastery. Various tribes from Tibet and Mongolia all came for this occasion. I was fascinated by the costumes and makeup of many women from these tribes and hence painted Tibetan Girl Dancing.” The present work is likely inspired by the same occasion. Although undated, Zhang Daqian inscribed a special poem of 112 characters for the Lantern Festival, which he composed for a Tibetan lady in 1942.
In the present painting, Zhang Daqian skillfully applies thick cinnabar to embellish the lady’s outer dress, using fine brushstrokes to depict the delicate fur lining. The Tibetan girl adorns a long braid decorated with a colourful ribbon, and intricately painted patterns adorn her jewellery, accessories, and shoes, displaying exquisite detail. The composition, facial delineation of the girl, and the depiction of her hand gestures can be attributed to the influence of Dunhuang cave paintings on Zhang Daqian. A painting with a similar composition was featured in the 50th Anniversary of Chang Dai-chien: A Retrospective Exhibition in 1972 (fig). It was dated to the twelfth month of the guiwei year (1943). In this version, the Tibetan lady assumes a comparable pose; her back is turned towards the viewer, and she glances back, revealing a subtle smile. As she dances, her shoulders extend, and her right-hand holds a wine cup, reminiscent of a scene witnessed by Zhang Daqian during a festive banquet. Based on the brushwork and calligraphic style, the present work is believed to have been created in the early 1950s. When compared to other examples from the 1972 retrospective exhibition and a piece sold in the 2013 auction market, dated to the sixth month of the xinmao year (1951), the present work stands out due to its unique, lengthy inscription of Zhang’s lantern poem and the refined brushwork of the details. We can observe the elegant features of the girl’s face and the subtle patterns on the inner shirt, carefully delineated using white pigment mixed with powder. The artist’s choice of splashed gold paper adds further opulence to the piece, enhancing the significance of this artwork representing one of the artist’s most recognized subjects. The painting has been in the family collection of the present owner since the 1950s and is offered in the auction for the very first time. The present owner’s grandparents are originally from Shanghai and settled in Hong Kong before 1949.