Longevity Cypress

Longevity Cypress was painted by Zhang Daqian to celebrate the eightieth birthday of the mother of his close friend Tai Jingnong. Executed on specially made luowen patterned paper from Zhang Daqian’s Dafengtang studio, the work was sent to Taipei from his Garden of Eight Virtues in Brazil upon completion. Verdant peaks rise majestically in the composition, while an ancient cypress clings to the rocks, its sturdy trunk and gnarled roots twisting into a form reminiscent of a dragon turning its head. Its luxuriant foliage spreads across the mountain slopes, evoking the traditional symbolism of the evergreen cypress as a wish for longevity. Tightly composed yet expansive in spirit, the painting combines vigorous brushwork with rich, subdued colours, conjuring a monumental landscape within an intimate format. Delighted to receive the work, Tai Jingnong wrote personally to Zhang Daqian to express his gratitude. He later inscribed the titleslip himself, naming the painting Longevity Cypress (Songshou), a reference to longevity as enduring as Mount Song.
Zhang Daqian and Tai Jingnong shared a deep and lasting friendship, and the works Zhang Daqian presented to Tai were invariably distinguished by particular care in both subject and materials. His 1952 Misty View of Mt. Huo, for example, was painted on Kangxi-period luowen patterned paper, while the 1976 Sailing Home, offered at Christie’s Hong Kong in April 2026,was executed on Yuan-dynasty paper. Many other works presented to Tai were likewise painted on specially commissioned, Song-style luowen patterned paper produced for Dafengtang. Longevity Cypress was similarly executed on Zhang Daqian’s own specially made fine paper, its carefully chosen material further reflecting the affection and esteem he held for his close friend and his family.