A SELECTION FROM THE WANG JINGWEI IRREVOCABLE TRUST COLLECTION (LOTS 1336-1355)The Wang Jingwei Irrevocable Trust is a non-profit, nongovernmental educational trust that promotes the collection, presentation and preservation of original writings, historical documents, calligraphy, works of art and private objects created by, or for, Wang Jingwei (1883-1944) and his wife Chen Bijun (1891-1959). The Trust was founded in 2010 by Ho Mang Hang (He Mengheng, 1916-2016) and his wife Wong Chorfu (Wang Wenxing, 1914-2015), the eldest daughter of Wang, to further the understanding of Wang’s life and ideas.Wang Jingwei remains one of the most fascinating and complex political and literary figures in modern Chinese history. As a revolutionary, Wang played an important role in the fall of the Qing dynasty and called for democratic and social reforms during the 1920s and the 1930s, before becoming a leader of the Peace Movement during the Second Sino-Japanese War. An accomplished calligrapher, poet, writer and friend to many artists, Wang is also well-known for his collection of poetry, titled Shuangzhaolou shicigao, including Xiaoxiuji (A Little Rest) and Saoyeji (Brush Leaves) collections. A selection of poems in translation has been published in Poems of Wang Ching-wei (London, Allen & Unwin, 1938). The private works of calligraphy by Wang, Chen and several of Wang’s closest associates, collaborative works of art by Wang and some of the leading artists and literary figures of the day as well as members of his own family, letters, and seals presented here, selected from the Wang Jingwei Irrevocable Trust Collection, have remained in the family since Wang Jingwei and Chen Bijun’s death. With impeccable provenance, the objects reflect the rich personal life and circle of friends and associates that Wang and Chen enjoyed during their lifetime.
WANG JINGWEI (1883-1944)
Poems of Shuangzhaolou
Details
WANG JINGWEI (1883-1944)
Poems of Shuangzhaolou
Leather-bound notebook, ink on paper
Each page measures 17.5 x 14 cm. (6 7/8 x 5 ½ in.)
Inscribed and signed, with two seals of the artist
Dedicated to Lingshuang and Xiufeng
Further inscribed and signed, with one seal
One collector’s seal of He Xiufeng (1898-1970)
NOTE:
Dedicated to Li Lingshuang and He Xiufeng, the parents of Wang’s son-in-law Ho Mang Hang, this book of calligraphy was written en route overseas to recuperate from illness. During the voyage, Wang began using an inkstone given to him by his in-laws, and inscribed calligraphy in a notebook with lock and clasp that he purchased in France as a present. He Xiufeng was a known seal carver and collector from Guangdong. Li Lishuang was also the sister of the revolutionary Li Peishu, who first introduced He and Li to Wang Jingwei and Chen Bijun. This lot is also accompanied by a wooden box built by He Xiufeng to protect the book.
Poems of Shuangzhaolou
Leather-bound notebook, ink on paper
Each page measures 17.5 x 14 cm. (6 7/8 x 5 ½ in.)
Inscribed and signed, with two seals of the artist
Dedicated to Lingshuang and Xiufeng
Further inscribed and signed, with one seal
One collector’s seal of He Xiufeng (1898-1970)
NOTE:
Dedicated to Li Lingshuang and He Xiufeng, the parents of Wang’s son-in-law Ho Mang Hang, this book of calligraphy was written en route overseas to recuperate from illness. During the voyage, Wang began using an inkstone given to him by his in-laws, and inscribed calligraphy in a notebook with lock and clasp that he purchased in France as a present. He Xiufeng was a known seal carver and collector from Guangdong. Li Lishuang was also the sister of the revolutionary Li Peishu, who first introduced He and Li to Wang Jingwei and Chen Bijun. This lot is also accompanied by a wooden box built by He Xiufeng to protect the book.
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