Lot Essay
Yellow autumn kui flowers are a member of the malvaceae family. They flower in the autumn, have a subtle fragrance and attractive foliage, and are frequently represented in paintings, beginning in the Song dynasty. For two such representations see P. Valder, The Garden Plants of China, Portland, Oregon, 1999, p. 310, fig. 19.74; a painting by Du Jin, Ming dynasty, p. 348, fig. 20.2, and a Southern Song painting by Li Di, which is called 'Hibiscus and Rock'. The flower is sometimes identified as hibiscus or musk mallow.