The Chiang Chao-shen Collection: Chinese Paintings from the Lingou Hall

Born in 1925 in She County, Anhui Province, Chiang (1925-1996), also known by his sobriquet Shuyuan, was raised in a cultured family. Under his parents’ tutelage, he began reading, writing, and seal carving at an early age, displaying a remarkable talent. Together with family members, he often engaged with scholars in cultural dialogues and refined discourse. By the age of eight, he was already producing paintings and calligraphic couplets for patrons. At the age of nine, he had the opportunity to meet the master painter Huang Binhong in Shanghai, growing up in an environment rich in cultural influence. Later, in order to support his family, Chiang took on engraving and copying books, transforming the hardships of life into an artistic practice of calligraphy and engraving. His experience in the difficult times laid a solid foundation for his later mastery in engraving and solid skills in calligraphy.

Chiang moved from mainland China to Taiwan with his wife in May 1949. That same year, he wrote to the renowned artist Pu Ru, who had also recently arrived in Taiwan, seeking to become his student. Pu Ru accepted, and Chiang formally studied classical prose and poetry under his guidance. This bond between teacher and student was free from formalities and ostentation. Pu Ru advised him, ‘Instead of learning to paint, it is better to study with me. After all, with a solid foundation in knowledge, you will naturally elevate the quality of your artistry.’ During this period, he diligently followed the master, delving into various literary and history classics, including Zizhi Tongjian, Four Histories, Lao Tzu, Huainanzi, Lüshi Chunqiu, among other poetic collections. At times, he had the privilege of witnessing Master Pu’s brushwork. Over the course of more than a decade studying with Pu Ru, Chiang amassed some of the most exquisite works by the master, personally inscribing titles, annotations and seals, attesting to the profound intellectual and artistic dialogue between master and disciple.

Beyond this formative mentorship, Chiang spent the next several decades immersed in Chinese history, literature, and art. He co-founded and actively participated in several influential art societies in Taiwan, including the Qixiu Jinshi Shuhua Hui (七修金石書畫會) with Fu Shen, Haijiao Yinji (海嶠印集) with Wang Zhuangwei, and Mingyi Shishe (明夷詩社) with Liang Hanchao. These groups promoted the study of painting, seals, and poetry, and helped establish Chiang’s reputation as a prominent cultural figure. In parallel with his scholarship, Chiang remained deeply engaged in his own artistic practice. He held his first solo exhibition in 1965 and subsequently exhibited widely in both Taiwan and mainland China.

In 1965, after his first solo exhibition in Taiwan, Chiang began his career at the National Palace Museum in Taipei as a deputy researcher. In 1969, at the invitation of the U.S. Department of State, he spent a year in the United States as a visiting researcher at the University of Michigan. During his stay, he had the opportunity to visit significant public and private collections of Chinese paintings and calligraphy, and he completed a study on the activities of Suzhou painters during the 16th century.

Over nearly three decades at the Museum, until his retirement in 1991, Chiang published extensively on Ming dynasty artists, such as Tang Yin (1969) and Wen Zhengming (1977), and curated landmark exhibitions, including "Ninety Years of Wu School Paintings" (1972). In 1978, he was appointed Deputy Director and later served as Director of the Department of Chinese Paintings. He was widely respected for both his scholarship and leadership. After retiring in 1991, Chiang moved to Puli in Nantou County to focus on his artistic practice.

It is worth noting that Chiang continually drew profound inspiration from his own collection of classical treasures. For instance, in the cursive script of Chen Chun and the running script of He Shaoji below, one can discern similarities reflected in Chiang’s own calligraphy and inscriptions. This serves as a testament to his profound love for this traditional art form, which he adeptly integrated into the distinctive rhythm of his hand, truly embodying the principle of ‘making the past serve for the present’.

It is no surprise that Chiang Chao-shen assembled a distinguished private collection of Chinese paintings over his lifetime. A leading authority in classical Chinese painting, Chiang’s profound scholarship and connoisseurship left a lasting mark on academia and the museum world. His private collection, spanning works from the Ming dynasty to the 20th century, reflects his lifelong dedication to scholarship and his deep artistic lineage.

Christie’s Hong Kong is honoured to present the Chinese painting collection of Chiang Chao-shen during Asian Art Week in autumn 2025, across 2 live sales - Fine Chinese Classical Paintings and Calligraphy on 28 October and Fine Chinese Modern and Contemporary Ink Paintings on 29 October, as well as an online sale opening from 28 October to 11 November. The curated selection will provide collectors with a rare glimpse into the refined aesthetic of this modern literatus—encompassing paintings, calligraphy, inkstones, and ink rubbings. Standout highlights feature a Ming-Dynasty rubbing of Ode to Fu Ge in Han Dynasty, a set of four framed landscape fan leaves in ink on gold paper by Cheng Jiasui(1565-1643), an ink and colour painting on paper titled Bronze Cow by Pu Ru, and a pair of ancient inkstones—a Han-dynasty tile inkstone and a Jin-dynasty brick inkstone.