Page 99 - Chinese Works of Art and Buddhist sculpture, June 18, 2018 Galerie Zacke

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A ‘MORNING GLORY’ PAINTING BY QI developed an important style of so-called
BAISHI, DATED 1951 Chinese scholarly painting, in his own
Ink and color on paper, mounted to a expressive style.
paper scroll with fabric borders
China, dated 1951 Shape: Rectangular vertical shape
Dimensions: 102 x 34 cm (painting size),
Only one other ‘Morning Glories’ painting 186 x 46 cm (mounting)
by Qi Baishi, dating to the year 1951 Condition: The painting is in good
and very similar to the present artwork, condition. Slight traces of age and wear,
was ever on the market and it fetched in the form of creases and moldy spots,
360.000 Euros at Poly Auctions in Beijing. are discernible
Flower paintings from Qi Baishi’s late Provenance: Austrian private collection,
period are amongst the most expensive acquired at Christie’s New York
in the artist’s oeuvre as he had achieved
the utmost expressiveness and freedom Literature comparison: Poly International
in the brushstrokes by then, according to Auction, IN COMMEMORATION OF
discerned scholars and collectors. MADAM GUO XIUYI’S 100TH BIRTHDAY
- A RARE COLLECTION OF MODERN
The painting bears the artist signature and CHINESE PAINTINGS AND CALLIGRAPHY,
seal at the right margin. The calligraphy 03 Dec 2010, Beijing, lot 2707. (for a
reads ‘The old Baishi painted at the age comparable, slightly smaller, Morning
of 87’ and the artist seal also reads ‘The Glory painting by Qi Baishi)
old Baishi’. In the lower left corner is the
seal for the collection of paintings and 1951⸜滲䘥䞛˪䈥䈃剙˫
calligraphy of Xinxi. The reverse reveals the 䳁㛔㯜⡐姕刚炻拎䶆墅墙
work’s title (in Chinese) ‘Morning Glories ᷕ⚳炻1951
by Qi Baishi’ and two additional seals.
滲䘥䞛∝ἄ䘬⎎ᶨⷭ⎗徥㹗⇘1951⸜䘬˪
This painting shows a dense arrangement 䈥䈃剙˫冯忁ẞἄ⑩朆ⷠ䚠Ụ炻㚦⛐ⶪ⟜ᶲ
of light grey to black leaves and vividly 扟ⓖ忶炻᷎⛐⊿Ṕᾅ⇑㉵岋㚫㉵↢360,000
painted branches and stems from which 㫸⃫檀₡ˤ㟡㒂㚱嬀ᷳ⢓␴㓞啷⭞䘬䚳㱽炻
morning glory buds and blossoms are 滲䘥䞛㘂⸜䘬剙⋱䔓ἄ㗗忁ỵ喅埻⭞ἄ⑩
growing. The pinkish red of the blossoms ᷕ₡㟤㚨䁢㖪屜䘬炻⚈䁢恋㗪Ṿ⶚䴻⛐䫮⡐
stands out prominently against the ᶲ䌚⼿㤝⣏ㆸ⯙ˤ
monochrome leafage.
忁ⷭ䔓⛐⎛怲䔁㚱喅埻⭞䘬句㫦“䘥䞛侩Ṣ
Wild morning glories have been traced ℓ⋩ᶫ㬚㗪⇞”␴⌘䪈“䘥䞛佩”ˤ䔓朊ⶎᶳ
back to ancient China where they were 奺⎗夳啷⭞懜⌘Ⱦᾉ䎳啷㚠䔓⌘ȿˤ⌟庠ᶲ
used for medicinal and ceremonial 㚠“䈥䈃剙 滲䘥䞛”⍲ℑᾳ⌘䪈ˤ
purposes. The Chinese folklore of this
flower symbolizes that lovers may only 忁ⷭ䔓ẍ⣏⮓シ䲭剙⡐叱䔓㱽炻㶉⡐㽫⡐
meet on one special day out of the year. Ṍ㚧䔓叱⫸炻㝅㡅␴匾丷丆炻剙唦␴剙㛝助
The story behind this is that two young ⢗䓇攟ˤⶍ䫮䰱䲭刚䘬剙㛝㚜≈夗㈀↢⮓
people fell deeply in love neglecting all of シ䘬叱⫸ˤˤ
their responsibilities. As more and more
chores were ignored the heavens started 慶䓇䈥䈃剙⎗ẍ徥㹗⇘ᷕ⚳⎌ẋ炻䓐㕤慓喍
to rumble with the gods dissatisfaction. ␴䥖₨䓐徼ˤ㟡㒂ᷕ⚳㮹攻⁛婒䈥䈃剙尉⽝
So, they decreed that the lovers could 叿ッṢ堡傥⛐䈡⭂ᶨ⣑忯⇘ᶨ䓇ᷕ䘬⎎ᶨ
meet just one day out of the year. Morning ⋲ˤ忁側⼴䘬㓭ḳ㗗ℑᾳ䚠ㆨ䘬⸜庽Ṣᷕ䘬
glories also mean unrequited love. ᶨᾳ⾥夾ḮṾᾹ䘬㇨㚱屔ảˤ崲Ἦ崲⣂䘬屔
ả塓⾥夾炻䛦䤆攳⥳ᶵ㺧ˤ㇨ẍ炻ṾᾹᶳẌ
Qi Baishi (1864 - 1957) 婒ッṢ⎒傥⛐ᶨ⸜ᷳℏ夳朊ˤ䈥䈃剙ḇシ␛
Qi Baishi was one of the most famous 叿ᶵ㯪⚆⟙䘬ッねˤ
painters of the 20th century and a
proprietor of modernist currents. He was 䩳庠
born son of a farmer in 1864, Xiangtan, ⯢⮠烉102 x 34 cm (䔓朊), 186 x 46 cm (
Hunan province. He died 1957 in Beijing. ⏓墅墙)
He began painting at the age of 14. ⑩䚠列⤥炻㚱庽⽖䘬⸜ẋ␴䢐㎵䕽嶉炻㚱ṃ
He began a tour of China’s famous 㐢䕽␴暱㔹ˤ
landscapes in 1904, where he attained ⤏⛘⇑䥩Ṣ㓞啷炻Ἦ冒䲸䲬Ἓ⢓⼿ˤ
fame. He settled in Beijing in 1917. He
was voted to the national congress of 㔯䌣⍫侫烉ᾅ⇑㉵岋˪悕䥨₨娽彘ᶨ䘦␐⸜
the people in 1953 and he was the first 䍵啷㚠䔓˫炻2010⸜12㚰3㖍炻⊿Ṕ炻2707嘇
president of the Chinese association of ㉵⑩炷ᶨẞ䦵⮷䘬滲䘥䞛˪䈥䈃剙˫炸
artists. Three years earlier he was awarded
the International Peace Price for 1950, Estimate EUR 12.000,-
by the World Peace Council. Qi was a Starting price EUR 6.000,-
frontrunner of modernist painting and

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