Iris
Miao, head of the department of Chinese Classical Paintings, pointed to
a section of Lot 636,
"Landscape After Wu Zhen," by Lan Ying, ink on paper, handscroll, 18
7/8 y 402 3/8 inches that she said is missing the artist's inscription
By Carter B. Horsley
The September 13, 2012 auction of Classical Chinese Paintings at
Christie's New York contains a good section of hanging scrolls, album
leaves and fans.
Detail
of Lot 636,
"Landscape After Wu Zhen," by Lan Ying, ink on paper, handscroll, 18
7/8 by 402 3/8 inches, showing blank area to the left of painting that
Iris Miao said is missing the artist's inscription
Lot
636, "Landscape After Wu Zhen," by Lan Ying (1585-1666) is an ink on
paper handscroll that measures 18 7/8 by 402 3/8 inches. It
has an estimate of $1,200,000 to $2,200,000. It sold for $1,762,500
including the buyer's premium as do all results mentioned in this
article. At
a press review, Iris Miao, the head of Christie's New York
department of Chinese Classical Paintings, indicated a blank section of
the handscroll that she said was missing the artist's inscription.
The auction total was
$16,527,314 with 77.3 percent of the 150 offered lots selling.
The pre-sale estimate was $7,400,000 to $11,800,000.
Lot 645,
"Seclusion amid Mountains and Streams," by Hongren, handscroll, 5 3/4
by 136 5/8 inches
Lot
645 is a handscroll by Hongren (1610-1664) that measures 5 3/4 by 136
5/8 inches. It is entitled "Seclusion amid Mountains and
Streams." At a press preview, Iris Miao said that Hongren is
now
believed to have only painted the right end of the scroll. It
is
illustrated in "The Jade Studio: Masterpieces of Ming and Qing Painting
and Calligraphy fro the Wang Nan-Ping Collection," written by Richard
Barnhardt and published in 1994. It has an estimate of
$600,000
to $800,000. It
sold for $3,218,500.
The catalogue provided the following commentary about this lot:
"The
artist known as Hongren was one of four great monk painters active
during the early Qing dynasty. He was the leading artist of
the
Huangshan or Anhui School of painting. This small handscoll
is a
superb example of Hongren's painting style. The artist
employs
his hallmark brushwork technique - elegant, refined, dry, and angular -
to depict crystalline rock structures, animated tree shapes, and
simplified architectural forms, which he deftly juxtaposes to crate a
minimalist composition that is at once intimate and monumental.
He employs an array of velvety black dots, applied both
horizontally and vertically, to enhance surface interest and to enliven
the otherwise sparse landscape scene. A two-characer
signature
and one seal of the artist appear midway through the handscroll.
While the first half of the scroll (the portion before and
just
after the signature) displays all of the characteristics of Hongren's
style the second half of the painting is almost certainly the work of a
different artist, presumably a pupil or follower of Hongren.
Although in the second half of the painting, the brushwork is
quite refined, the composition is les dynamic., the rock forms more
static, the placement of the dots more haphazard, and the trees and
architectural elements stiffer than in the first section.
Having
acknowledged that Hongren did not paint the entire image, rather than
detracting from the value of the scroll, it is perhaps better to view
this painting as a rare collaboration between Hongren and a skilled
follower, whose identify awaits further study."
Lot
631, "Summer Reverie by the Lotus Pond," by Qiu Ying, ink and color on
silk, hanging scroll, 45 3/4 by 23 inches
Lot
631 is an impressive hanging scroll entitled "Summer Reverie by the
Lotus Pond" by Qiu Ying (1494-1552). An ink and color on
silk, it
measures 45 3/4 by 23 inches. It has an estimate of $750,000
to $1,500,000. It
sold for $842,500.
Detail
of Lot 631, "Summer Reverie by the Lotus Pond" by Qiu Ying
The
lot has an estimate of $750,000 to $1,500,000. It sold for $842,500.
Lot 716, "Landscape," by Wan
Shanglin, hanging scroll, 59 by 17 1/2 inches
Lot
716 is a nice landscape hanging scroll by Wan Shanglin (1739-1813) that
measures 59 by 17 1/2 inches. It has an estimate of $12,000
to
$18,000. It
failed to sell.
Lot
618, "Cypress and Ganoderma" attributed to Yun Shouping, hanging
scroll, 44 1/8 by 19 3/4 inches, left; Lot 612, "Riches of Jade Hall,"
by Jiang Pu, ink and color on satin, hanging scroll, 87 1/2 by 19 5/8
inches, 1736
Lot
618 is a very lovely hanging scroll attributed to Yun Shouping
(1633-1690) entitled "Cypress and Ganoderma." It measures 44
1/8
by 19 3/4 inches. It has an estimate of $9,000 to $12,000.
It sold for
$25,000.
Lot
612 is a lovely hanging scroll by Jiang Pu (1708-1761) entitled "Riches
of Jade Hall." It measures 87 1/2 by 19 5/8 inches and is
dated
1736. It has an estimate of $20,000 to $40,000. It failed to sell.
Lot 745,
"Peonies," by Chen Banding, ink and color on paper, 40 3/8 by 13 5/8
inches
Lot
745 is a very attractive ink and color on paper of
"Peonies"
by Chen Banding (1877-1970). It measures 40 3/8 by 13 5/8
inches.
It has an estimate of $8,000 to $12,000. It sold for $15,000.
Lot 613, "Animals," by Hua Yan,
ink and color on silk, one of 10 leaves in an album, 9 1/2 by
6 1/2 inches
Lot
613 is an album of 10 leaves entitled "Animals" by Hua Yan (1682-1756).
Each leaf is an ink and color on silk and measures 9 1/2 by 6
1/2
inches. The album has 9 collectors' seals including one by
Zhang
Daqian (Chang Dai-chien). The lot has an estimate of $80,000 to
$120,000. It
sold for $206,500.
Lot
635, "Heroes of the Water Margin," attributed to Chen Hongshou, ink and
color on silk, album of twenty leaves each 9 5/8 by 6 3/8 inches
Lot
635 is a very attractive album of 20 leaves of "Heroes of the
Water Margin" that is attributed to Chen Hongshou (1598-1652).
Each leaf measures 9 5/8 by 6 3/8 inches. The lot
has an
estimate of $18,000 to $25,000. It sold for $22,500.
Lot 648, one
of 8 album double leaves by Ye Xin, each 9 5/8 by 7 1/8 inches
Lot 648 is an
album of eight double leaves by Ye Xin (circa 1597-1673), each
measuring 9 5/8 by 7 1/8 inches.. The lot has an estimate of
$45,000 to $60,000. It
sold for $60,000.
Lot 654,
"Miraculous Peaks of Ten Thousand Tress," by Huang Ding, ink on paper,
hanging scroll, 54 1/8 by 21 78 inches
Lot 654 is an
impressive ink on paper on a hanging scroll entitled "Miraculous Peaks
of Ten Thousand Tress" by Huang Ding (circa 1660-1730). It
measures 54 1/8 by 21 7/8 inches. It
was painted in 1727 and is based on a work by Dong Beiyuan. It
has an estimate of $180,000 to $250,000. It sold for $218,500.
Lot 741,
"Within The Cloud-Shrouded South Mountain The Blue Dragon Hides," by Wu
Hufan, ink and color on paper, hanging scroll, 43 1/2 by 18 7/8 inches
Lot 741 in an
impressive hanging scroll by Wu Hufan (1894-1968) entitled "Within The
Cloud-Shrouded South Mountain The Blue Dragon Hides." An ink
and color on paper, it measures 43 1/2 by 18 7/8 inches. It
has an estimate of $250,000 to $350,000. It sold for $1,370,500!
Lot 695, "A Woodcutter Returning Home on a Snowy Pathway," by Lu Zhi,
ink and color on paper, fan leaf, dated 1531, 7 1/8 by 21 3/8 inches
Lot 695 is a fine fan leaf by Lu Zhi (1496-1575) entitled "A Woodcutter
Returning Home on a Snowy Pathway." An ink and color on
paper, it measures 7 1/8 by 21 3/8 inches. It is dated 1531.
It has an estimate of $40,000 to $60,000. It sold for $98,500.
Lot 706,
"White Lotus," byu Pan Gongshou, ink and color on gold paper, 7 by 20
5/8 inches, top; Lot 707, "Peonies," by Zhu Qi, ink on gold-dusted
paper, fan leaf, 6 7/8 by 20 1/2 inches, bottom
Lot 706 is a
lovely fan leaf by Pan Gongshou (1741-1794) that is entitled "White
Lotus." An ink and color on gold paper, it measures 7 by 20
5/8 inches. It has an estimate of $8,000 to $12,000. It failed to sell.
Lot 707, is a very nice ink on gold dusted paper fan leaf by Zhu Qi
(probably 19th Century) that is entitled "Peonies." It
measures 6 7/8 by 20 1/2 inches. It has an estimate of $3,000
to $5.000. It
failed to sell.
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