Beijing ChengXuan will hold 2009 Spring Auctions on May 24-31 at Hotel Kunlun Beijing. There are 7 auctions in total which belong to 4 parts-Chinese Paintings & Calligraphy, Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art, Chinese Oil Paintings & Sculptures, Stamps & Postal History and Coins & Banknotes.
About 5oo pieces in Chinese Paintings and Calligraphy will be sorted into two parts. Amongst, the most remarkable one is Shao Shan created by Li Keran in 1969, which shows the masses visiting the former residence of Mao Zedong within a 16 sc horizontal picture. The artist focused on painting a real scene of Shaoshanchong in the dawn as a narrative landscape on handling the subject matter. In this painting, we can see the view of the hills in the lifting morning mist in the distance, a stretch of hills, and a crystal pond with dark green lotus leaves afloat before the white-walls houses surrounded by the pines. We can't see a red sun in the painting but all the things are soaking in the soft morning sun. The distant hills, paddy fields among the hills, the forests on the hummock, houses, backyards, cobbled paths in the pines and glades are infiltrated by the warm morning sunlight as well as the verdant pines and the swaying bamboo grove tinted with the light of early dawn.... Using an overall realistic but a little bit freehand brushwork makes an orderly hierarchy and bright and smooth ink in the painting. Li Keran was called to Beijing Hotel to draw a painting but without his own signature in 1969 when the artist tried to find out a balance from the conflict between art and reality. And the outstanding Shaoshan was one of the paintings at that time signed with only theme and time. Li Keran had drawn at most ten paintings on the subject of Shaoshan, among which only this one is the rarest on the size and elaboration of drawing. In addition, there is another landscape of Li Keran named Beside the Jialing Jiang River, the bestowal to the former Guangzhou executive vice Mayor Mr. Ou Chu.
In this Spring Auctions, ChengXuan will show Shi Lu in every aspect by his affluent artworks. The Indian Dance was the representative one of figure in 1950's created after his visiting to India in 1955. The artist displayed his taste of the exotic by using traditional Chinese painting methods and strong color, expressed the dancing girl's rapidly spinning body and driving rhythm by consequent swift arc strokes to show the graceful charming of Indian Dance and got the help from the dancing girl's lovely eyes to show the spirit and the verve of Indian Dance. The travel of India inspired Shi Lu greatly and the Indian Dance series manifested in practice the maturity of his principle of creation "one hand comes from tradition; the other hand comes from life". The Lotus is a great painting of the artist in 1970's. This painting is painted in "boneless method" with only two colors: black and red, using the dark of ink to contrast with the brilliant red of the lotus. The dense ink of lotus petioles and the nearby view of immense lotus leaves become more dripping against the gradually light lotus leaves and the lotus petioles in distant and middle view. The lotus petioles, the lotus leaves, the lotus and the reeds are interlaced with the wind but unyielding. In 1970's, the strokes of Shi Lu were sharp and craggy as the engraving on the marbles, pursuing the density and the shape of the lines and the abstractness of characters, weighing the degrees of the ink's penetration at the turning strokes with moisture in dry which looks like an abstract painting. It is a calligraphy which is also a painting uniting the spirit with the technique of writing in harmony. Besides this volume, there are another two manuscripts of Shi Lu which are rare and firsthand information for research.
ChengXuan will show the elegant imitations of ancient artists by Zhang Daqian and Wu Hufan respectively. The Asking for Directions by Zhang Daqian was a perfect copy from Zhao Mengfu which was a gift to Zhang Daqian's confidante Li Qiujun. This copy was a great one in figures in artist's early age having been exhibited and published emphatically. The Wind in the Pines and the Seas of Clouds by Wu Hufan is an imitation of Tang Yin's painting. We can see a path coming out of the pines beneath the frame which makes the viewers feel like ascending the stairs in a long time, then, passing the pines and walking to the spot. Two scholars sitting on the stone terrace are talking with fervor and assurance, with the pines in sight and the rocks at the vertex freshly and elegantly. The painting was issued in book The Paintings of Plums volume I, from which we've known that the artist's self-assurance on the painting. Besides, there are several masterpieces of Fu Baoshi and Qi Baishi, among which, The Full Moon in the Blue Sky drew by Fu Baoshi in 1944. The artist appreciated a Wuyan poem by Shi Tao so much that he drew many paintings on the poem . In this painting, the stone lies on the bottom right hand side of the frame tinted with ocher but lofty in dark which express the appearance of the stones under the moon. The sitting scholar is looking at the shimmering waves on the boundless waters in front of him, pondering under the bright moon in the blue sky slanting on the waters reflecting the black and cold gleams of the water. The Spring Festival by Qi Bashi have been published many times and another rare creation Purplevine was drawn on silk in his early age which was given to one of his disciples.
The rest famous artists in modern times such as Zhao Zhiqian, Wu Changshuo, Huang Binhong, Chen Shaomei, Pu Xinyu, Yu Youren, Wu Guanzhong, and Huang Zhou and so on have the noteworthy paintings on this spring auctions. Furthermore, there are a brood of illustrations to literatures after 1949 shown for the collectors. Since 1949, the Chinese government has paid more attention to the functions of education by illustrations in books so that it came to the blooming time of illustrative art in China. In this section, we can appreciate the artworks from best artists at that time such as Zhang Guangyu, Hua Junwu, Ding Cong, Cheng Shifa, He Youzhi, Zhou Lingzhao, Yuan Yunfu, among which there are The Scholars by Cheng Shifa, Luo Tuo Xiangzi by Ding Cong, Spark and The boxers by He Youzhi, Sister Liu by Zhou Lingzhao, The Dragon-Boat Festival in May by Zou Ya....
Moreover, there are more other special shows, especially near 30 pieces of calligraphy from senior overseas collector. There are incomparable calligraphies in the area of calligraphers, chirographies, forms, and contents, among which the large couplets by Kang Youwei and Guo Moruo inspire people deeply. Additional, near 20 paintings of Wu Changshuo from a senior Japanese collector will be sold with the half paintings inscribed by the appreciators and calligraphers which showed the popularity of the artist, the love and taste of Japanese to the artist's artworks at that time.
More than 100 pieces will be showed in Ceramics and Works of Art, among which the rare series of Yixing Zisha, Imperial Buddha Status of Qing Dynasty and Wood ware of study in late Ming Dynasty and early Qing Dynasty are collected from the collectors from home and abroad.
A rare Longquan Celadon Vase carved with peony scroll in Hongwu Period of Ming Dynasty is beautiful in shape, verdant like jade, pure in material. A similar selected Chuzhou Kiln vase in the period of early Ming Dynasty, whose shape and decoration similar with the blue and white and copper-red decorated articles in Jingdezhen style, once published in The National Palace Museum Monthly of Chinese Art in Taipei. A Robin's Egg vase in Qianlong period of Qing Dynasty with Yongzheng style made in early Qianlong period whose glaze is well-kept and looks like colorful peacock tail. A great turquoise-ground famille-rose teapot and cover with lotus scroll in Qianlong period of Qing Dynasty which is a set of tea set for emperor only with bright and rich color, delicate and elegant decoration produced by Jingdezhen Kiln. A golden-ground famille-rose buddhist alter in Jiaqing period of Qing Dynasty is an important instrument used in Buddhism collected from a senior Japanese collector which is painted wholly body with gold following the imperial Buddhism style of Qianlong. There are variety of articles with wide usage and profound signifcace in Chinese works of art reflecting the outstanding skills of the first-rank handicraftsmen inherited from long generations but created in different periods.
A rare Qiangjin red lacquer "dragon" box and cover incised "Imperial ancestor's instruction of Ming Dynasty" is a typical Ming style article with high art and historical value. Around the year of 1955, a similar but bodiless lacquer one was bought by Palace Museum of Beijing which was treated carefully and preciously at that time. A Rare and Fine Qing Chia Chu Golden Lacquer Statue of Four-amed Avalokitesvara is similar with the seated gilt-bronze four-armed figure of Avalokitesvara collected by the Palace of Qing Dynasty which is the treasure of the Palace of early age of Qing Dynasty. Furthermore, there is a peculiar collection of figures of Buddhism by the Palace of Qing Dynasty with the same origin such as the gilt-bronze statue of Samvara and White Tara, golden-lacquer statue of Shakyamuni collected from overseas collector. A Qing Very Rare Imperially Inscribed "San Xi Tang"White Jade Plaque painted gold calligraphy of Wang Xianzhi's Inscription at the Middle Autumn Festival made for royal only at the reign of Qianlong which is clear and smooth but solid and vigorous with 13 lines of Wang's Inscription at the Middle Autumn Festival and the uncompleted The Ode of the River Goddess on the both sides. The meticulous and delicate skill of caving and the best selected material shows the strong royal style . Additional, there is a Qing rectangular white jade plaque made by the Palace Workshops of Qianlong with high-quality material and superb technique.
Besides, there are collections of works of art such as the Zisha pot and the woodenwares of study. There is a Duan clay pot inscribed by Qu Yingshao Xu Lian in Zisha collection which is a representative one of Daoguang style melting the flavor of the scholars into the pots. Several ingenious articles will appear in the woodenwares collection with high value to collect.
With the characteristics of strict selections and reasonable prices, more than 100 pieces will be shown on the sale of Chinese Oil Paintings and Sculptures emphasizing on the historical development of art and having a bias towards the classical, scarce and entertaining artworks, among which the collections of "Illuminated Manuscripts of Famous artists of Chinese New Literature" and "The Collection of Li Yongsen" are attractive for the gathering of rare artists.
There are 8 groups of pieces in "Illuminated Manuscripts of Famous artists of Chinese New Literature", among which the most rare manuscripts are the Forest by Ai Weiwei, the illustrations in the novel Ni Huanzhi and magazine Dangdai by Wang Huaiqing, together with the True and False Emperor cooperated by Wang Huaiqing and Huang Guanyu. Ai Weiwei who is famous for his experiments and rebellions in the field of contemporary art, is called the "unfilial son" of Chinese well-known lyrical poet Ai Qing and draw the cover for his father's anthology of verse Selected Poems of Ai Qing published in 1979. The artwork is a commemorative one showing the artist's personal feelings and the professional pen-and-ink sketch skills which is rare for its realistic style as an early creation with deep love. The illustrations created by Wang Huaiqing for Ye Shengtao's novel Ni Huanzhi was published by People's Literature Press in 1962 using charcoal and pencil as the tool with whitening and color pencil occasionally to distinguish the characters. The illustrations in the True and False Emperor by Ye Junjian presents the vivid representability of lines. The 10 pieces for Wang Anyi's novel The Symphony of Fate on Dangdai (the second edition in 1982) are exquisite with individual art value. From the above three manuscripts, we can catch the artist's proficiency in composition of the pictures and the interests in discovering the connections between black and white which laid a solid foundation for the artist's own style and his later fame.
"The Collection of Li Yongsen" includes 9 paintings which can be divided into two parts: one is the portraits of Li Yongsen by his friends such as Yan Wenliang's The Portrait of Li Yongsen, The gift for Li's 80th birthday The Portrait of our Friend—Yongsen cooperated by Guan Liang and Zhu Qizhan and the most precious one is The Portrait of Shao Liangyun by Ni Yide for Li's wife because of the scarcity of Ni's paintings; The other is the paintings of Li Yongsen himself such as the Self-Portrait at Midlife, the Lady in Fashion for calendar and the After School painted together with his wife.
Lin Fengmian's paintings with clear records and origins have broken several records since the autumn actions last year till the spring auctions this year. The Lady created in 1984 is provided by the painter's goddaughter Ms. Feng Yeh, which was exhibited in A Retrospective Exhibition of Lin Fengmian in Nineties by Taipei National Museum of History in 1989. It depicts a lady in purple with a fan in hand who is sitting among the flowers in the background of dense broad leaves and the bright and strong color pillow. It's unsual in Lin's paintings to use so intense color but light lines which can be considered as the representative painting of Lin Fengmian in brilliant style. In addition, there are two rare color on silk in shape of scroll paintings created in 1930's, among which one is the Egret painted in 1933 showing the seven egrets resting and hunting beside water in a narrow and long frame dedicated to Cai Yuanpei's closest friend Ruan Yicheng; The Pine Forest and the Waterfalls created in 1937 was dedicated to his friend Zhu Jiahua who was the Minister of Education and represented Lin's theory of "reconciling Western and Chinese Art" implemented by Lin Fengmian during his holding as principal of the Hangzhou Vocational art School.
Ding Yanyong, studying in Japan in his early life, was one of the advocators of concepts of modern art whose personal experience of art creation from western to ink then seal cutting made few of his oil paintings remained. However, in this spring auction, we've collected 2 oil paintings on wood of Ding provided by his student who has kept the paintings for almost 40 years. Bodhisattua created in 1965 is more meticulous and delicate compared with the other one existed in the world in the same style. Oracle and Orchid was painted in 1964 which the artist put the oracle and inscriptions on bronze in painting and combined the characters, symbols and pictures together then melted the antique and secret images into his own style.
Untitled No. 6 by Wu Dayu has been published and exhibited on artist's solo exhibition for many times. The painting expresses the abstract delight of shape and color by tinted faintly or in darker hues; longer or shorter, straight or curve strokes following the passion and nature.
Secondly, in the first part of Coins and Banknotes, more than 1000 pieces will be sold including Chinese ancient coins, gold ingots and sycees, coins and so on, among which the most representative one is the golden pattern dollar of Yuan Shih-kai in the third year of Republic with the signature of L.GIORGI collected from a senior collector of Tainan. The pattern coin is a model of Tientsin Mint for deep carving and exquisite skill of mint and only three of the coins exist in the world without any record of collection by any public or private.
Thirdly, the second part of Coins and Banknotes is the sale for Chinese banknotes which are more popular in recent years compared with before. ChengXuan will make a solo catalog for banknotes including 800 elites of banknotes in all ages. The most precious one is the Exchange Certificate of Ta-ching Government Bank printed with the portrait of the Emperor of Zaifeng, four denominations in 8 colors, 32 kinds of Specimen with single side printed, a complete set of 64. It is said that there are only two sets existing and very difficult to collect because there aren't any international or domestic records of auction and any public or private collection from home and abroad. The issue of the set is a milestone in the history of Chinese banknotes, very rare and valuable to collect or research.