Page 46 - Christies THE LAI FAMILY COLLECTION OF FINE CHINESE FURNITURE AND WORKS OF ART

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QI BAISHI (1863-1957)

Morning Glories

Scroll, mounted and framed, ink
and color on paper
Signed, with one seal of the artist
10 ¡ x 12 √ in. (26.3 x 32.6 cm.)

$25,000-30,000

PROVENANCE:

Property from the Lai Family Collection.

Qi Baishi painted morning glories because he
was fascinated by the fower’s round, trumpet-
like form and vivid colors. He was among
the frst to present this vine alone in a large-
format composition. The color combination and
execution techniques in this particular painting
are culmination of experiments undertaken
over nearly three decades. He initially used blue
pigment for the petals but found red to be
closer to his liking for the warmth and ebullience
it conveyed. Similarly, his earlier paintings
combined the red fowers with blue or green
leaves—these were eventually replaced by simple
black ink. Qi Baishi had discovered this striking
combination of red blooms with black leaves
earlier when depicting other fowering plants,
such as peonies.

The painting is composed of three large black
leaves produced by splashes of ink on paper
which have been supplemented with painted
veins. Growing out from behind the pendant
leaves, a loose network of branches was applied
in pale to medium-tone ink in swift brush strokes
similar to cursive script. Five unopened buds
appear with three fully opened blooms, created
with three short downward thrusts of a brush
dipped in heavy red color, followed by a half-
circular stroke and a pale red wash to defne the
lower portion of the cone.

齊白石 牽牛花 設色紙本 鏡框
題識：借山老人白石。
鈐印：木人

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