Page 148 - Beyond Compare Christie's Hong Kong RU WARE .pdf

BEYOND COMPARE: A Thousand Years of the Literati Aesthetic

“This year (1761)… (Jin Nong) creates Seeking Inspiration Amongst Plum

Blossoms.”

¨݊ϋ€  ccc €ږ༵Ъૠ؍ஜ̩ྡ‘f© - Zhang Yuming, Chronicles of Jin Nong
ੵࠜ׼dږ༵ϋᗅ‘

n 1761, Jin Nong (1687-1763), at the age of 75, executed Seeking Inspiration ϋd ๋ٙږ༵މԄʾ傀ᖯᖭႡૠ؍ஜ̩ྡ‘f
IAmongst Plum Blossoms and dedicated it to his very good friend, Yinluo or Zhang ኽ՜ɪੵӉ༗ᕚ൸dɪಛɛ傀ᖯуੵ˜ૠfੵˤމɛᛈ୭d
Yuemei. Zhang’s free and easy character allowed him to befriend many literati of ᄿʹሬɻdၾږ༵̙ፗ୽৕ʘʹf ϋ௓ᒿྪᕎ΂๤ජ
his time. In 1816, his grandson Yunchen or Zhang Tingjie asked his colleague of ጤ֜ʘყdᏐ΍ԫʬ༱ٙΝྃੵҒ؏€уථЅdੵ˜ૠ࢑
six years and friend, Chen Hongshou (1768-1822) the scholar-official, to inscribe a ՅʘᒗdމՉ࢕ᔛږ༵ૠ؍ஜ̩ྡ‘ᕚ൸ʿˏ࠯fථ
colophon and frontispiece on this painting of his family collection. Zhang was so ЅܝᙳϤ՜ʮመΝλdʾɛߪჾፓe௔ࣣ͗ഃʱй׵
proud of this work by Jin Nong that he further showed it to his friends including ʿ ϋᕚ൸f
th
th
Fan Fengxie and Lu Yushu (both 18 -19 Century) whose colophons dated 1818 and
1822 respectively can be found on this handscroll. ૠ؍ஜ̩ྡ‘͵ඕϞεЗ Ї ˰ߏࣣ೥ฌλ٫νږ
ㆿҒ€૶eҽ͗ಚ€૶eเྪᅹ€ ʘᔛΙi
A total of sixteen collector’s seals, including those of illustrious art collectors and ೥ᖦၾ೥ଷɪʘᅺᖦᜑͪϤ՜ಀމϵૠࣣ܊˴ɛʿ݁ط࢕
th
th
connoisseurs like Jin Futing (19 Century), Li Yufen (19 Century) and Yang ௓ՠஷ€ הᔛdϾତᔛ࢕ʿՉ࢕ૄ͵ޜϾࠠʘ
Shoushu (1863-1944) are identified in this work. Its titleslip and the label on གྷ ༱f
its wooden box reveal that the painting was once belonged to ‘A Hundred Plum
Blossoms Studio’ owned by Chen Shutong (1875-1966), a respected politician and ઋ੔ૠڀe਺ᆇʔɭ
an avid collector of Chinese painting. Seeking Inspiration Amongst Plum Blossoms have
ૠڀɗ̬ёɿʘ࠯dϞתߗᘌఫe຾ᒲශ௛ٙत׌d൥ᅄ
been cherished by the current owner and his family for more than seven decades.
ёɿۜᅃ਺ᆇ৷ᆎeᄋ್ʔ֡e৕ྤІ੶ٙઋ዁f̏҂˸
Ըd˖ɛฌ˸ૠɝ་ɝ೥dҖϓ¨ૠڀ©˖ʷତ൥f
Devoted to Plum Blossom – Unrelenting and Extraordinary
First amongst the Four Gentlemen in Chinese art, plum blossom serves as a ږ༵€ { ་˖ࣣ೥ޫၚd݊౮ψɞ׉ʕ˖ʷࡌ
metaphor for the virtues of a scholar: resolute, noble and pure. Since the Song ቮၾઋ዁௰৷ٙɓЗf ϋৎ˼හɢ௴Ъૠڀd݅ү೯
dynasty, literati have been praising plum blossom in poetry and painting. It thrives in ˖ɛઋᕿdɦڎΥ຅ࣛ౮ψబਠڝੱࠬඩٙცӋձۜբf
the desolate and severe winter, just like a noble person being unswervng and fearless ږˤᘱוۃɛ৛Ӌ௉අʿ੔భːᜳʘ೥ૠجdԨʱؓ຅ࣛ
under adverse conditions. ౮ψ೥ૠਖ਼࢕νӓɻฐ e৷ജ ձ
ҽ˙ᑐ ʘЪۜdࡒ࢙ԨႅϾ̋˸௴อdԴՉૠ
A native of Hangzhou where many eminent literati lived, Jin Nong was one of the ڀࡈ׌ᒻ׼eйዓɓࣸf
Eight Eccentrics of Yangzhou, a group of painters famous for their unconventional
artistic styles. Jin’s unsurpassed talent in literature and the arts made him the best ৷̚ዎקe֘и૶փ
amongst them. Since 1753 he had been prolific in painting plum blossom for
ૠ؍ஜ̩ྡ‘࢝ତඤ̆ૠڀସ׳e฽బ་จٙ౻ߧjૠ
expressing his sentiments and catering the demand and taste of the rich in Yangzhou.
؍ቦ֦dૠዓϼ฀εұd˸૱ኈೲ̈dᆰ،ۃܝ̸̛Фַd
Unique and out of the ordinary, Jin’s plum blossom paintings are creations inspired
ଯໝʹ፹f،ɪૠڀϢϢdɓ˪ͣૠᛖϖഹ؍ʕٙ४ૠi
by the unusual and soul-revealing examples of his predecessors, and works by his
˖ɛᕐ˓ᛐஙഠͭ׵४ૠዓࣙdԒܝϞཿɿᛃԒͣૠዓɨ
contemporaries such as Wang Shishen (1685-1759), Gao Xiang (1688-1753) and Li
๦঩fږ༵˸ᇏᒰഅجɝ೥dረЍ૱ඩ˿೥ࠦ৷̚ዎקi
Fangying (1696-1755).
̸˙ᕚಛၾ࿴ྡ޴խᏐd͵ᄣ૴೥ࠦʘ̚ק૶փf
Quaint and Simple, Alienated yet Evocative ږ༵೥ૠ଺εdணЍ٫ޟˇdϾ˸ɛي݂ԫҖόڌ༺٫һ
Seeking Inspiration Amongst Plum Blossoms exemplifies the flourishing moment in a ݊೽Ϟfତᔛ̏ԯ݂ࢗ௹ي৫ږ༵Ъ׵ ϋʘɛي
poetic way. One frigid day by the shore, a scholar, standing tall beside a plum tree ʆ˥ྡ‘̅dୋ ක೥ؐ዗ݴ˥dࣹ؍ഄӂd̸˙ᕚ་ໝ
with pink blossoms surrounded by those with white blossoms, was contemplating ಛ€ԈڝྡdՉ࿴ྡձረЍၾϤ՜޴߰f
with his hands holding in the sleeves. Behind him was his servant, brewing tea under
the white plum blossoms while looking at his master, who seemed to be wondering
what his verse of the day would be. In a descriptive mode highly charged with
calligraphic brushstrokes stemmed from the seal and clerical scripts and together
with the use of light ink and colour washes, Jin Nong portrayed an alienated and
a simple yet evocative setting which possibly drawn from his own experience. The
inscription and signature in chiseled, idiosyncratic characters dangled from the top
left corner of the scroll compliment the composition and accentuate the quaintness
of the painting.

Of all the plum blossom paintings by Jin Nong, very few are rendered in colour
and those modeled in a story-telling fashion are extremely rare. A peach blossom
painting of similar composition and use of light ink and colour, is found on the
eighth leaf of Figures and Landscapes album by the artist dated 1759, now in the Palace
Museum of Beijing (see Illustration).
The eighth leaf of Figures and Landscapes album,
Palace Museum of Beijing
138 ʔɭ { ҂˾ߕኪɓɷϋ
٫̺ᐅ೫ښḵ㡗ⳉǗ́ḵ൶᥅ॱǘ՝ⓧ 㟚