ZHAO HAOGONG (1881-1947)
ZHAO HAOGONG (1881-1947)
1 More
LOTS 2124-2134 PROPERTY FROM THE HUAI QIN GE COLLECTION
ZHAO HAOGONG (1881-1947)

Study of Flowers

Details
ZHAO HAOGONG (1881-1947)
Study of Flowers
Inscribed and signed, and with a total of eleven seals of the artist
Dated autumn, jiaxu year (1934)
Dedicated to Junhua
Further inscribed by collector Ou Jilai, with two seals of the artist
Titleslip by Deng Fen (1894-1964), with one seal
Two colophons by Ou Jilai
Album of eight leaves, ink and colour on satin
Each leaf measures 18.6 x 29 cm. (7 3/8 x 11 3/8 in.)
20th Century

Brought to you by

Yanie Choi
Yanie Choi

Check the condition report or get in touch for additional information about this

If you wish to view the condition report of this lot, please sign in to your account.

Sign in
View condition report

Lot Essay

This collection of paintings comes from Mr. Lui Shu Ying (1919 -2000). Lui started a finance company in Hong Kong at the young age of 16 and moved to Shanghai in the early 1940s to expand his business, returning to Hong Kong in 1949 when Shanghai was liberated. While he remained active in investment activities, his daily life was completely immersed in the gardening of penjing (potted plants of the Lingnan school), in the study, appreciation and collections of Chinese paintings, jade and antiques. His demeanor of elegance and style as a Chinese scholar was expressed through his vast collection of paintings and more than 100 pots of penjing . Lui and his lifelong friend, Wu Yee-Sun, a prominent Hong Kong banker, were also regarded as accomplished Lingnan School penjing artists. At the request and sponsorship of Mr. Richard E. Lyng, Secretary of the United States Department of Agriculture, they donated 31 pots of precious and very artistic bonsai trees to the United States. Mr. and Mrs. Lui visited Zhang Daqian's home in Taiwan in 1981 to study penjing and their stone and jade collections. Zhang was particularly fond of penjing and regarded them as three dimensional paintings.
As a seasoned collector, Lui was very particular when sourcing for good pieces of art. In the 1960s and 1970s, most of his collection of Chinese paintings, jades, porcelain and antiques were purchased from two major antique arts dealers in Hong Kong. A good number of his pieces were bought from Christie's Hong Kong when its office opened in 1986, while some were bought directly from artists such as Zhao Shao'ang, Huang Junbi, Yu Youren, Li Yanshan and Xie Zhiliu. On the occasion of Mr. Lui's 70th birthday, Xie Zhiliu presented to him words of well wishes on a pair of large peach colour posters that became the focal point at the dinner party (see illustrated).
Mr. Lui's collection of paintings and calligraphy was mainly collected during the first half of the 20th century when most of the artists were still in China. It was a time when China was rife with war and suffering. Mr. Lui, who lived and worked in Shanghai in the 1940s, was able to relate to the emotions of the painters through the scripts and poems on some of his paintings. For example, Zhang Shanzi, Yu Youren, Huang Binhong, Kang Youwei had joined Dr. Sun Yatsun in the revolution against the Qing Dynasty. Zhang Shanzi was given official position after the revolution and he resigned from them in 1926 due to his frustration with the corruption within the government. He went to Shanghai with his younger brother Zhang Daqian. The grand and very imposing Prowling Tiger (Lot 2134) was painted by Zhang Shanzi in 1928 to express his feelings, that he no longer cared for fame and fortune. Many paintings created in these tumultuous years in China are imbued with emotions which read like pages of poetic history. For the collector, these paintings were not only aesthetically pleasing but also held great historical value that acted as unique comparisons to paintings created by the same artists in their later years in an age of peace and prosperity.
The Huai Qin Ge collection will also offer paintings by Zhang Dafeng and other Qing artists in our Fine Chinese Classical Paintings and Calligraphy sale on 28 November 2011, lots 1832-1836.

More from Fine Chinese Modern Paintings

View All
View All