Page 19 - Bonhams UK Marsh Collection Art for the Literati November 2, 2022

Lot 9, a large blue and white and Chen Hongshou, Painted Blue and White and underglaze red
copper-red ‘virtuous aunt’ dish, Album, image courtesy of the dish, Kangxi, The British Museum,
early Kangxi Palace Museum, Beijing London

The figures in some porcelain paintings are exactly the same as those Most of Shen Zhou’s landscape paintings are composed from a
in literati paintings, and those of Chen Hongshou in particular were horizontal-distance perspective, and the brushwork reflects his
copied. Chen Hongshou often depicted ladies with large heads, personality, moderate and well-rounded. From his paintings, we
combining Tang and Song dynasty traditions of female figure painting can see that the structure of the trees and rocks has something
with popular and vernacular interest. His ladies have exaggerated in common with the expression of trees and rocks in porcelain
features, and Chen paid attention to gestures and emotion. The head painting, often combined with luxuriant leaves and sparse branches.
of the lady is always heavier than the body, and the chignon is piled The branches and trunks are vigorous employing varied dots and
up, while the lines of the dresses are simple and concise, and the strokes to create a luxurious feel. The structural blocks of the rock
decoration is elegant. In Lot 9, a large blue and white copper-red have a strong sense of surface and three-dimensionality, and the
‘virtuous aunt’ dish, Kangxi, the features of the lady depicted are arrangement is well-proportioned. The strokes and lines of different
exactly the same as those depicted by Chen Hongshou. Another lengths are used to show the richness and smoothness of the
related dish can be seen in the British museum which proves the mountain. It is similar to Lot 16, a rare blue and white ‘Master of the
extensive influence of Chen Hongshou’s painting style on porcelain. Rocks’ jar, Shunzhi/early Kangxi.

Lot 16, a rare blue and white ‘master of Lot 16 (detail) Shen Zhou, album leaf, image courtesy of the
the rocks’ jar, Shunzhi/early Kangxi Palace Museum, Beijing.

THE MARSH COLLECTION | 19