Beschreibung:

QI BAISHI (1863-1957)
QI BAISHI (1863-1957) Flowers and Insects Four album leaves, mounted and framed, ink and colour on paper (1) 32 x 26 cm. (12 5/8 x 10¼ in.) (2) 33 x 25.8 cm. (13 x 10 1/8 in.) (3) 29.5 x 24 cm. (14 5/8 x 9½ in.) (4) 22.4 x 28.4 cm. (8 7/8 x 11¼ in.) Each inscribed and signed, with a total of four seals of the artist Further inscribed by the artist on the mounting, with one seal of the artist Further inscribed by Zhang Shizhao (1881-1973) Dated dinghai year (1947) Note: This painting was dedicated to Gongshu. Yang Gongshu (1896-1978) was the eldest son of the politician Yang Du (1874-1931), who was a native of Xiangtan, Hunan, as was Qi Baishi Yang Gongshu attained his doctoral degree in chemistry in Berlin and worked for two years in a chemical company in Germany. Dedicated to industrial development, Yang returned to China to hold the post of Secretary-General of the National Resources Commission. He later became an acquaintance of Chinese pharmaceutical entrepreneur Yue Daren (1877-1947). As a result of Yues introduction, in 1925 Yang married Yue Manyong, who was the sister of Yue Songsheng (1908-1968), thirteenth-generation owner of Tong Ren Tang. Active in literati circles, Yue Manyong studied ci poetry from Qiao Dazhuang and was close to painter Qi Baishi This present lot was a gift from Qi Baishi to the couple Yang Gongshu and Yue Manyong. This album, originally a set of seventeen leaves, demonstrates Qi Baishis skilled gongbi technique, in depicting insects, which features fine brushwork and meticulous detail. Simple in form but not in technique nor idea, the album is the result of Qis skill in working from direct observation of nature. The forms are vivid and lifelike not only in subjective representation but also in spirit. Qi Baishis ability to capture the essence of the form and its spirit is what sets this master apart from the rest. (4)