Page 23 - Christie's July 8th 2020 Hong Kong Fine Chiense Paintings and Caligraphy

A Legacy of Wang Hui’s Endless Streams and Mountains

王翬《江山無盡圖》的傳承

Wang Hui (1632-1717) painted Endless Streams and Mountains five times during his lifetime. Two have been located: one is preserved in
the Tokyo National Museum and the other in the Shanghai Museum. While the existence and whereabouts of the collaboration with Yun
Shouping and the version recorded in Fang Junyi’s Ouxiangju by the East Lake remain unknown, Christie’s Hong Kong are very privileged
to unveil Endless Streams and Mountains in the King Kwei Collection.
The colophons, collectors’ seals and titleslip provide an account of the birth of this handscroll as well as its journey among collectors.
According to Lu Yi (1654-1726), Jiang Chenxi commissioned a painting by Wang Hui. It took Wang a year to execute Endless Streams
and Mountains, mounted it three years later and finally completed it at the age of 71 with further applications of “dots and washes”. A
native of Taichang, Jiangsu province, Lu Yi became a metropolitan graduate in 1688. He served the Qing court at the same time as Jiang
Chenxi and became a close friend of Wang Hui. The titleslip of this handscroll was inscribed by Lu Shihua (1714-1779), grandson of Lu
Yi. He authored Paintings and Calligraphy Examined in Wuyue and recorded this painting in the sixth volume. One of the collector’s seals
belongs to him while three others belong to his son, Lu Yuanwu (17th Century). The son was skilled at painting, calligraphy and literary
compositions; and his books include Writings from Huaiyan Studio.
Years later Endless Streams and Mountains entered the collection of Zhang Dayong (1770-1838). Zhang was a native of Changshu, Jiangsu
province. He passed the provincial examination in 1794 and held several government posts during the Jiaqing reign. He greatly treasured this
work, as it is recorded in the tenth volume of his Paintings and Calligraphy of Ziyiyue Zhai, and sixteen of his collectors’ seals can be found
on the handscroll. After Zhang’s passing, this work appears to have entered the collection of Weng Tongjue (1814-1877), a fellow native of
Changshu. He was the second elder brother of Weng Tonghe (1830-1904) and held several official roles including Viceroy of Hu Guang area.
The sight of this painting evoked in Weng Tonghe memories of his deceased brother, and he recorded his thoughts in an additional colophon.
Following his colophon are two seals of his nephew, Weng Shouqi (19th-20th Century). A noted calligrapher, landscape painter and
connoisseur, he became a provincial graduate in 1891 and held various posts in Guangxi province. Weng Kuisun (1856-?), the eldest grandson
of Weng Tongjue, inherited this painting. He was also academically accomplished and passed the provincial examination in 1882. His writing
has survived in the book Poetry of Boyuan.
Created by Wang Hui more than three hundred years ago, Endless Streams and Mountains was first collected by the Jiang Chenxi
family, natives of Changshu; then kept in the hands of the Lu Yi family in Taicang; later it journeyed back to Changshu and entered
the private collections of the Zhang Dayong family and the Weng Tongjue family. During the turbulent years of the interregnum in
the early 20th century, the renowned Shanghai collector and connoisseur Chen Rentao (1906-1968) acquired this painting and later
brought it with him to Hong Kong and it has been kept in his family ever since.

王翬（1632-1717）一生作《江山無盡圖》五卷，今傳世所知有東京博物館和上海博物館藏卷兩種，王翬與惲南田合作卷、方
濬頤著錄東湖藕香居卷存佚未知，及首次露面之金匱室藏卷。
細味本卷之題跋、題簽、藏印，可考索畫作緣起及遞藏。據陸毅（1654-1726）題跋，《江山無盡圖》乃蔣陳錫請王翬繪製；
王氏經年創作，三年後裝裱，七十一歲復加點染完成。陸毅，字士迪，號匪莪，江蘇太倉人，1688年進士，與王翬友好。畫卷
及包首上有其孫陸時化（1714-1779）之藏印和題簽；陸時化，字潤之，號聽松，著有《吳越所見書畫錄》，此畫見於卷六。
畫上亦見其子陸願吾（17世紀）之藏印；陸願吾，字愚卿，號魯亭，精詩文書畫，著有《懷煙閣留草》等。

其後《江山無盡圖》由張大鏞（1770-1838）珍藏；張大鏞，字鹿樵，江蘇昭文（今常熟）人，1794年舉人，官內閣中書等。
張氏收錄此畫於《自怡悅齋書畫錄》卷十，畫上有其藏印十六方。張氏歿後此卷轉由翁同爵（1814-1877）珍藏；翁同爵，
字玉甫，翁同龢（1830-1904）二兄，官至湖廣總督。翁同龢睹畫思兄，追跋數語。跋後見其侄翁綬琪（19-20世紀）藏印
兩方；翁綬琪，字楚珍，號印若，1891年舉人，歷任廣西諸縣府官，能書善畫，精鑒賞。翁同爵故後此卷由其長孫翁奎孫
（1856-?）傳承；翁奎孫，字鼎臣，號柏園，1882年以監生特賜舉人，有《柏園吟稿》存世。
《江山無盡圖》歷經常熟蔣陳錫家族收藏，後轉入太倉陸毅家族，再重回常熟由張大鏞家族、翁同爵家族遞藏。晚清民初遂入
海上陳仁濤（1906-1968）金匱室珍藏，輾轉携至香港，珍存至今。三百多年傳承有緒，尤屬可貴。

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