Page 147 - Christie's Irving Collection Lacquer Bronse jade and Ink March 2019

LIKE A CRANE, LIKE A SEAGULL

R E A D I N G F U B AO S H I ’S P O R T R A I T O F S H AO M I

The subjects of Fu Baoshi’s fgure paintings Gongwang) and Yuyu (Xia Gui) respectively for viewing.
often consisted of prominent historical fgures. The I selected the better features [of the two paintings] and
statesman and poet Qu Yuan (c. 343-278 BC) and painted this one for my brother-in-law Neizhen.””Someone
characters from his writings accounted for many of them. like Shao Mi, who was able to integrate Huang Gongwang
He painted many such works, rife with symbolism, during and Xia Gui in one painting without any detectable trace
the Sino-Japanese War. Other historical fgures Fu Baoshi of either painter can certainly be called a genius. Wen
admired included Tao Yuanming, Li Bai, Du Fu, Huaisu, Ni Congjian praised him in an attached colophon: “a graceful
Zan, and Shitao. Whether it is because of Fu’s admiration of talent full of spiritual energy, a truly gifted genius.” Wen
their minds, a feeling of shared personalities, or the heritage Congjian was nineteen years older than Shao Mi, yet the
of artistic ideologies, Fu continuously pursued and emulated two became close friends. However, Shao Mi was frail and
their images and spirits. in poor health most of his life, and he passed away before
he reached the age of ffty. The year he died was the year
This masterpiece depicting Shao Sengmi (c. 1593-1642) Shitao was born. Is it possible that when Fu Baoshi was
was acquired by the Irvings in Hong Kong in 1988. Shao researching Shitao, he also discovered Shao Mi?
Mi, whose sobriquet is Sengmi was a native of Suzhou
province. He was one of the nine painters praised in Wu At the upper left of the work, Fu Baoshi entitles the painting
Weiye’s (1609-1672) poem titled “Song of the Nine Friends in seal script, “Lithe like a Crane, Leisurely like a Seagull,”
of Painting,” The “nine friends” included Dong Qichang, and writes in running script, “Baoshi approximated the
Wang Shimin, Wang Jian, Li Liufang, Yang Wencong, Zhang image of Shao Mi, recorded in Nanjing.” The angular and
Xuezeng, Cheng Jiasui, Bian Wenyu, and Shao Mi, all were robust seal script is a refection of Fu’s talent, and the
famous artists during the late Ming dynasty. Since his metaphor of the crane and seagull refers to Shao Mi, this
childhood, Shao Mi had enjoyed practicing calligraphy and frail, yet gifted painter.
painting and excelled in these arts. Known to be eccentric
and unconventional, he was studious and talented in One possible interpretation of the word “ni” in Fu’s
various felds. inscription is “to emulate.” If this is indeed the case, then
an original or relevant information should have existed. I
Shao Mi’s poetic progenitors were Tao Yuanming (c. 365- have once seen a portrait by Xu Tai (a late Ming painter
427) and Wei Yingwu (737-792). Calligraphically, he followed from Hongzhou who was skilled at portraiture.), with the
the characteristics of the father-son duo Mi Fu (1051-1107) background painted by Lan Ying. It depicted Shao Mi
and Mi Youren (1074-1153) in his cursive script, and Zhong wearing a long robe, hands around knees, sitting under
Yao (151-230) (as well as Yu Shinan and Chu Suiliang) in his a tree, frail and pale faced, with a thin beard. The image
standard script. He also emulated the painting techniques resembles that of Fu Baoshi’s Shao Mi. Had Fu seen this
of the Song and Yuan masters, displaying an abbreviated painting prior, or other paintings? There is currently no
approach to landscape with a leisurely sentiment. evidence to corroborate any theory. Lan Ying inscribed on
the painting, “Shao Sengmi’s portrait, painted by a 73-year
One of Shao Mi’s works, currently preserved at the Palace old man Lan Ying.” The year when Lan Ying turned seventy-
Museum in Beijing, is a small landscape handscroll painting three years old was 1657, and by then Shao Mi had been
with the inscription: “I have just returned from the region gone for ffteen years.
of Liangxi and have brought two paintings by Zijiu (Huang

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