Scholars Resting under a Pine Tree

Details

ZHANG DAQIAN (1899-1983)
Scholars Resting under a Pine Tree
Scroll, mounted and framed, ink and colour on cardboard
52.3 x 39 cm. (20 5/8 x 15 3/8 in.)
Inscribed and signed, with two seals of the artist
Dated summer, fifth month, bingshen year (1956)
Dedicated to Tongbo

Provenance

Sotheby’s Hong Kong, Fine Modern and Contemporary Chinese Paintings and Works of Art, 30 April 1992, Lot 213.

Further Details

The owners of this collection began acquiring 20th-century Chinese paintings in the late 1980s. Having lived in Japan and Hong Kong, they travelled extensively throughout Asia and to China where they were excited by the intellectual rigour, the experimentation of materials and techniques, and the vitality of the artists who painted in the ink tradition. Acquiring works from galleries and auction houses, the owners assembled a diverse collection of Chinese paintings that witnessed the development of this multifaceted art tradition in the past hundred years.

The owners’ fascination with Chinese paintings is manifested by the wide range of artists and subjects present in the collection. With curiosity and an open mind, they have collected works by Qi Baishi, Li Keran, Chen Shaomei, Zhang Daqian, Shi Lu, Wu Guanzhong and Lui Shou Kwan. Each of the above artists had a strong, unique visual identity and interpreted the Chinese ink tradition differently than the others. Long treasured by the owners, these paintings are coming to the market for the first time since they were acquired over two decades ago.

Conditions of sale

Brought to you by

Carmen Shek Cerne (石嘉雯) Vice President, Head of Department, Chinese Paintings

cshek@christies.com +852 2978 9981

Lot Essay

The recipient of this painting should be Chen Yuan (1896-1970), courtesy name Tongbo. A native of Wuxi, Jiangsu, he studied in London in 1912. In 1922, he returned to China and was appointed as a professor at Peking University. In 1943, Chen went to London to work in the Sino-British Cultural Association. In 1946, he was appointed as the first representative to UNESCO by the National Government, and took up resident in Paris.

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