Page 199 - SOTHEBYS MARCH 18 AND 19 2025

Brought to life with soft colors, meticulous detailing, and
origin story of an idiom meaning to ‘add finishing touches,’
grand yet serene compositions, these splendid plaques in which a scholar paints a dragon so proficiently as to bring
exemplify the commensurate skill of Wang Dafan (1888- it to life. The second, Bo Ya plays the Zither, depicts the
1961), a founding member of the prominent group of mythical qin player Bo Ya moving the woodcutter Zhong Ziqi
Jingdezhen ceramic artists, the Zhushan Bayou [Eight with his playing. This interaction, with Zhong being the only
Friends of Zhushan]. A native of Yixian, Anhui province, one to ever truly ‘understood his music’ (zhiyin) is frequently
Wang went to Jingdezhen at the age of fifteen and studied turned to as a paradigm for friendship and platonic love in
under artist Wang Xiaotang (1885-1924), a master at Chinese philosophy. The third plaque, possibly also from
painting figures of ladies in famille-rose enamels and vice- this set, depicts the Tang dynasty Marquis of Ye and his
president of the Porcelain Painting Research Institute. extensive book collection– seen in later periods as the
Alongside the likes of Wang Qi and Xu Zhongnan, Wang paragon of scholarly collecting. The fourth plaque, untitled, is
Dafan continued to hone his craft among the ‘Eight dated in accordance with 1945 and depicts a scholar walking
Friends’. This group – also known as the Full Moon Society with his attendant, carrying a zither. This tranquil yet wistful
(Yueman hui) – was formed in 1928 by the leading porcelain scene is accompanied by a quatrain composed by Ming poet
artists of the generation who met once a month on the full Tao Zongyi (1322-1403), which may be translated as follows:
moon to exchange ideas and shape the future of Chinese
art as we know it today. Layer upon layer of verdant trees guard the clear stream
I wish to find a kindred spirit (zhiyin), but the winding path
Although Wang and his associates were strongly
influenced by the ideals and techniques of the eighteenth confuses
century Yangzhou Baguai [Eight Eccentrics of Yangzhou], With cloth stockings and straw sandals, my song remains
they were equally driven by a desire to innovate. Utilizing unfinished
fluid expressive brushstrokes with exquisite colors
and fusing elements from both traditional Chinese and Yet I follow the wild scene, crossing the bridge to the west
Western painting, Wang’s work captures characterful Further famille-rose ‘figural’ plaques by Wang Dafan include
figures set among luscious classical landscapes. a pair painted with scholarly scenes accompanied by related
Possessing a remarkable sense of depth, a playful use of poems, sold in these rooms 11th September 2019, lot 942;
color and an unsurpassed attention to detail, this figural another pair – painted with Xi Shi and Fan Li, and Hong Fu Nü
work soon became Wang Dafan’s specialty. Already a respectively – sold in these rooms, 12th September 2018, lot
highly respected artist within China, his artistic mastery 384; one painted with promenading figures, included in the
gained him further recognition internationally, when his exhibition Brush and Clay. Chinese Porcelain of the Early 20th
piece Fugui Shoukao [Wealth, Honor and a Long Life] Century, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong, 1990, cat.
won a gold medal at the Panama-Pacific International no. 68; two sold at Bonhams San Francisco: one painted with
Exposition held in San Francisco in 1915. statesmen and female musicians, 25th June 2014, lot 6382,
At least two of the present plaques appear to have been and a smaller second plaque illustrating Li Bai, 17th December
produced as part of a set, dated in accordance with 1935, 2013, lot 8354; and another example, painted with scholars,
depicting famous folk stories from the Chinese tradition. from the collection of the Hon. Andrew Li Kwok Nang, sold at
One, entitled Paint the Dragon; Dot the Eyes, depicts the Christie’s Hong Kong, 1st December 2010, lot 3279.
395