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拍品專文
The excerpt inscribed on this bottle reads as follows:
'During the first month of summer in the sixth year of the Zhenguan era (632), the Emperor [Taizong] moved to the Palace of Nine Achievements for his summer retreat. This was formerly the Sui [Emperors'] Palace of Benevolence and Longevity. Halls were erected atop the hills. The flow of torrents was stopped to form pools.'
The excerpt is the beginning of a composition engraved on an early Tang stele, entitled 'Ode to the Sweet Spring at the Palace of Nine Achievements', written by Ouyang Xun (557-641).
Ma Shaoxuan (1867-1939) was one of the most technically accomplished artists of the Beijing school of painting, which was first started by Zhou Leyuan and included other leading artists such as Ding Erzhong, Ye Zhongsan, and Ziyizi. Ma's famous monochromatic portrait bottles of leading Qing officials and personalities were highly sought after among the influential minority of his day and continue to be among the most coveted of all inside-painted bottles. Executed only in black ink, with the use of vermilion solely for seals, each portrait is a technically impeccable, photographic likeness of the sitter. Ma's extraordinary renown led to his being commissioned in 1911 to paint two portraits of the young Xuantong Emperor.
The subject, Shouchen, is identified as Hao Shouchen (1886-1961), a well-known Beijing opera star.
Painted in an imposing and flawless crystal bottle, this is one of Ma's most impressive portraits. The unusual choice of winter clothing, with short white jacket trimmed in black and fur-brimmed hat, has allowed Ma the luxury of an intriguing play of black ink in a rather abstract manner, which sets this portrait apart from the more usual black-robed figures. Ma's legendary sensitivity in portraiture is apparent here in one of his finest paintings, but quite apart from its quality, what separates it from other superb portraits is the enigmatic expression on Hao's face.
'During the first month of summer in the sixth year of the Zhenguan era (632), the Emperor [Taizong] moved to the Palace of Nine Achievements for his summer retreat. This was formerly the Sui [Emperors'] Palace of Benevolence and Longevity. Halls were erected atop the hills. The flow of torrents was stopped to form pools.'
The excerpt is the beginning of a composition engraved on an early Tang stele, entitled 'Ode to the Sweet Spring at the Palace of Nine Achievements', written by Ouyang Xun (557-641).
Ma Shaoxuan (1867-1939) was one of the most technically accomplished artists of the Beijing school of painting, which was first started by Zhou Leyuan and included other leading artists such as Ding Erzhong, Ye Zhongsan, and Ziyizi. Ma's famous monochromatic portrait bottles of leading Qing officials and personalities were highly sought after among the influential minority of his day and continue to be among the most coveted of all inside-painted bottles. Executed only in black ink, with the use of vermilion solely for seals, each portrait is a technically impeccable, photographic likeness of the sitter. Ma's extraordinary renown led to his being commissioned in 1911 to paint two portraits of the young Xuantong Emperor.
The subject, Shouchen, is identified as Hao Shouchen (1886-1961), a well-known Beijing opera star.
Painted in an imposing and flawless crystal bottle, this is one of Ma's most impressive portraits. The unusual choice of winter clothing, with short white jacket trimmed in black and fur-brimmed hat, has allowed Ma the luxury of an intriguing play of black ink in a rather abstract manner, which sets this portrait apart from the more usual black-robed figures. Ma's legendary sensitivity in portraiture is apparent here in one of his finest paintings, but quite apart from its quality, what separates it from other superb portraits is the enigmatic expression on Hao's face.