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Lot Essay
In 1634, ten years before the final collapse of the Ming dynasty, the country was already being lacerated by widespread revolts and Manchurian invasions. The Jiangnan region, however, remained prosperous. Chen Hongshou, a descendant of a declining but respected family in the county of Zhuji in Zhejiang province, was 37. Already a renowned painter, he had a complex character which could be contradictory. This notorious drinker and womaniser aspired to serve at the court, but his performances at the imperial examinations were far from successful.
Chen returned from Beijing to Zhejiang province in 1633. Afterwards he lived alternately in the cities of Hangzhou and Shaoxing, spending a lot of time with Zhang Dai, a famous playwright, collector and essayist. In Dreamy Reminiscences of Tao An, a collection of essays by Zhang, it is recorded that he visited West Lake with an actress to appreciate red leaves in the tenth month of the jiaxu year (1634). There they encountered eight friends, including Chen Hongshou, so decided to spend the day together. After painting an ancient Buddha for a friend, Chen sang village songs accompanied by qin music played by Zhang.
Ladies was painted by Chen in late spring of the same year and belongs to his middle artistic period. The last important figure painter in the late Ming period, he mastered his skills through studying and imitating works by artists of the Tang and Song dynasties, including Zhou Fang and Li Gonglin. His figure paintings feature simple composition, subtly vigorous brushwork and exude an air of antiquity. On the painting's right stands a lady who has great aplomb. Right hand on her hip, left hand holding a folding fan, she looks back, smiling, pondering which hairpin held by her maid is better. Physically smaller than her mistress, the maid humbly stands behind and below her, gazing at the two hairpins, waiting for her decision. The painting not only captures a moment of interaction between the two ladies, but also visualises the social distance separating them.
Chen returned from Beijing to Zhejiang province in 1633. Afterwards he lived alternately in the cities of Hangzhou and Shaoxing, spending a lot of time with Zhang Dai, a famous playwright, collector and essayist. In Dreamy Reminiscences of Tao An, a collection of essays by Zhang, it is recorded that he visited West Lake with an actress to appreciate red leaves in the tenth month of the jiaxu year (1634). There they encountered eight friends, including Chen Hongshou, so decided to spend the day together. After painting an ancient Buddha for a friend, Chen sang village songs accompanied by qin music played by Zhang.
Ladies was painted by Chen in late spring of the same year and belongs to his middle artistic period. The last important figure painter in the late Ming period, he mastered his skills through studying and imitating works by artists of the Tang and Song dynasties, including Zhou Fang and Li Gonglin. His figure paintings feature simple composition, subtly vigorous brushwork and exude an air of antiquity. On the painting's right stands a lady who has great aplomb. Right hand on her hip, left hand holding a folding fan, she looks back, smiling, pondering which hairpin held by her maid is better. Physically smaller than her mistress, the maid humbly stands behind and below her, gazing at the two hairpins, waiting for her decision. The painting not only captures a moment of interaction between the two ladies, but also visualises the social distance separating them.