Page 126 - Christie's London May 14, 2019 Chinese Works of Art

PROPERTY FROM A PRIVATE COLLECTION
IN THE UK
171
QI BAISHI (1863-1957)
Lotus
Signature and three seals of the artist
Dated xinmao year (1951)
Scroll, mounted and framed, ink and colour
on paper
53¾ x 23¾ in. (136.5 x 60.5 cm.)
£50,000-80,000 US$66,000-100,000
€59,000-93,000
PROVENANCE:
Received as a wedding gift in Hong Kong in the
1950s, and thence by descent within the family.
Painted in Qi's 91st year by his own reckoning,
this work exemplifes his mature oeuvre. In this
late stage of Qi's career his mastery of the full
range of painting techniques is readily apparent.
The kinetic, angular lines of the lotus stems are
eloquently juxtaposed with the liquid colour
washes of the broad leaves. The composition
shifts between the wide, fat surfaces of the
leaves and linear structures of interlocking stems,
creating a dynamic cadence as the eye moves
across the painting surface.
The subject of lotuses in late summer carries
numerous symbolic meanings. In Buddhism,
the lotus symbolises enlightenment, pushing
up through murky waters to fower in the bright
sunlight. For both Buddhists and Confucians, a
late summer lotus implies a long life well lived.
In this painting, the majority of fowers have
passed and the full seed-heads weigh heavily
on the stems. This creates a botanical allegory
for Qi's own stage of life, and his substantial
accomplishments at the time of the work's
creation. This message is reinforced by the
application of Qi's 'ren chang shou' (long-lived
person) seal in the lower left. The seal is playfully
inverted, showing Qi's continuing irreverence for
staid, conservative conventionalism.
Given as a wedding gift to an eminent family
in 1950s Hong Kong, the painting would have
expressed a wish that the bride and groom lead a
long and fruitful life together.

齊白石 荷花 設色紙本 立軸裝
裱鏡框

款識：九十一歲辛卯白石。

鈐印：白石、懷烏堂、人長壽

來源：英國私人珍藏。香港1950年代
結婚賀禮，家傳至今。

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