Page 30 - Christie's Hong Kong Chinese Paintings May 28 to 29 2022

Refinement of the Wu School –
A Legacy of Xie Shichen’s Scholarly Gathering till Twilight

Ever since the legendary gathering hosted by the great Jin demonstrated filial piety to his parents, Zhan once travelled
calligrapher Wang Xizhi at the Orchid Pavilion on the with Wang Gen (1483-1541) and studied philosophy of the
third day, third month and the ninth year of the Yonghe mind advocated by Wang Yangming. He resided in the Wu
period (353), “elegant gathering” like this one had become area as a well-established businessman. He cherished Scholarly
a standard practice for the later generations of literati. Gathering till Twilight and requested many attendees of
the gathering and various contemporaries to inscribe on the
On the twelfth day, second month, thirty-first year of the Jiajing handscroll – Wen Zhengming on the frontispiece; Wen Peng,
period (1552), the Viceroy of Water Transport Guo Jingshan Wen Jia, Wang Xi, Wang Xu, Zu Wu, Ye Kun, Xu Chu (16th
invited the celebrities of the Wu area for a literati gathering. Century) and Zhou Tianqiu (1514-1595) on the endpiece.
According to the image and inscriptions of Scholarly Gathering
till Twilight, it was a spectacular feast that lasted into the night. While the whereabouts of the original painting is unknown, the
Wen Peng (1498-1573) suggested to commemorate the joyful event legacy of Scholarly Gathering till Twilight is clear and significant.
and eventually, Xie Shichen painted it on a scroll: Wen Peng In early Qing it entered the collection of Hua Yu Lou of the
was playing chess with Guo Jingshan while Wen Jia (1501-1583) Wang family in Shengchuan (now Shengze town in Wujiang
was writing verses; Zu Wu (16th Century) was playing the zither district, Suzhou) and was documented in Zhu Fengtai’s Notes
with Zhan Xianzhang (16th Century) appreciating the music; on Paintings Appreciation. In late Qing, it belonged to the eldest
Wang Shaoxuan (16th Century) was watching the chess game son of the important official Zhang Zhidong – Zhang Quan
while Wang Shaocheng (16th Century) was playing the pitch- (1862-1930), who eventually handed it down to the prominent
pot game; Xie Shichen was painting by the candle light while the collector of the Republican period Sun Zutong (1894-1966).
latecomer Shen Xulou (16th Century) and his zither-carrying
servant were crossing the bridge and coming towards the crowd. In mid-20th Century, Scholarly Gathering till Twilight was once
preserved at the Shanghai Museum. As such, one of the seals
According to the colophon by Wen Peng, Xie Shichen of Xie Shichen and the signature and one seal of Wen Peng
painted this literati gathering twice: once as a gift to the were recorded and illustrated in the authoritative reference
host Guo Jingshan and the second time as requested by Zhan book Seals and Signatures of Chinese Calligraphers and Painters
Xianzhang with colophon by Wen Peng. Xu Chu’s colophon edited by the Shanghai Museum and published in 1987.
states that according to Zhan Xianzhang, this handscroll was
a duplicate of a work in someone else’s collection. Therefore, This May, Christie’s Hong Kong is very honoured to present Xie
Scholarly Gathering till Twilight should be the second painting Shichen’s Scholarly Gathering till Twilight and to reminisce with the
of the same composition that belonged to Zhan Xianzhang. collectors the joy of literati gathering in the spring of Jiangan.
Zhan Xianzhang, courtesy name Ziru, sobriquet Qian Shanren,
was a native of Anhui. Known to be a virtuous man who

28