Lot Essay
(US$282,100-320,500)
Jin Xuan, also known by the names Wending and Shangsu, was born in Huating (present-day Shanghai, Songjiang region). An avid student as a child, Jin Xuan was also a filial son who devotedly cared for his mother in her old age. During the Hongwu reign period, he was recommended for government service. Jin Xuan was well-known for his calligraphy, poetry, and painting, especially landscapes in the styles of Huang Gongwang (1269-1354) and Gao Kegong (1248-1310). When he passed away at the age of seventy-six, he left behind a written legacy in his works, Manuscripts of Phoenix County and The Collection of Shangsu. The existing pieces of Jin Xuan's works are rare. So far only four pieces remaining: two album pieces in Shanghai Museum, one in private collection, and the fourth one is this handscroll. This is Jin Xuan's most significant piece of work, even though it is an imitation of Wu Zhen's (1280-1354) Fishmen, and brushwork are influenced by Wang Meng (1308-1385). The style of the painting is closely related to his contemporaries: Wang Fu (1362-1416) and Xie Jin (1369-1415) --a typical late Yuan and early Ming trasitional piece, which is to influence later Wu school artists, such as Liu Jue (1410-1472), Du Qiong (1396-1474) and Shen Zhou (1427-1509). According to the colophon by Li Yingzhen (1431-1493), the artist passed the handscroll down to his son. His son then handed down to his grandson-in-law Xu Yongmei (15th century). Thus it is a marvelous piece with credible provenance.
Jin Xuan, also known by the names Wending and Shangsu, was born in Huating (present-day Shanghai, Songjiang region). An avid student as a child, Jin Xuan was also a filial son who devotedly cared for his mother in her old age. During the Hongwu reign period, he was recommended for government service. Jin Xuan was well-known for his calligraphy, poetry, and painting, especially landscapes in the styles of Huang Gongwang (1269-1354) and Gao Kegong (1248-1310). When he passed away at the age of seventy-six, he left behind a written legacy in his works, Manuscripts of Phoenix County and The Collection of Shangsu. The existing pieces of Jin Xuan's works are rare. So far only four pieces remaining: two album pieces in Shanghai Museum, one in private collection, and the fourth one is this handscroll. This is Jin Xuan's most significant piece of work, even though it is an imitation of Wu Zhen's (1280-1354) Fishmen, and brushwork are influenced by Wang Meng (1308-1385). The style of the painting is closely related to his contemporaries: Wang Fu (1362-1416) and Xie Jin (1369-1415) --a typical late Yuan and early Ming trasitional piece, which is to influence later Wu school artists, such as Liu Jue (1410-1472), Du Qiong (1396-1474) and Shen Zhou (1427-1509). According to the colophon by Li Yingzhen (1431-1493), the artist passed the handscroll down to his son. His son then handed down to his grandson-in-law Xu Yongmei (15th century). Thus it is a marvelous piece with credible provenance.