Ancient art
"Sketching Rare Birds" is a model of Huizong's sketching of flowers and birds, the tone of the brush is simple and simple, all in ink, sketching the scene, no matter birds, flowers and plants are both form and spirit. The picture scroll is divided into 12 sections, and the seams of each section have the double seal of Song Huizong, a total of 11 squares.
Northern Song Dynasty Zhao Ji "Sketch of Rare Birds"
Ink on paper, 28.6 cm long, 530 cm wide
Zhao Ji, the eleventh son of Song Shenzong, the younger brother of Song Zhezong, the eighth emperor of the Song Dynasty, reigned for 25 years (1100-1125). He was good at calligraphy and painting, and during his reign, he raised the status of the painter to the highest position in Chinese history, and established the Hanlin Academy of Painting and Calligraphy, that is, the court painting academy at that time. He himself is not only good at flowers, birds, landscapes, and figures, but also likes to collect famous paintings of calligraphy, so that the famous relics collected by the inner government are 100 times that of the previous dynasty, and they are compiled into "Xuanhe Book Spectrum" and "Xuanhe Painting Spectrum", which have become important materials for studying the history of ancient painting today.
Zhao Ji is an emperor who "does not love the country and loves Danqing", and is also a rare artistic genius and all-round talent in ancient times.
(1) Xingyuan Chunsheng Seal: Qianlong Chenhan, a few moments in the pool
"Sketching Rare Birds" is a model of Huizong's sketching of flowers and birds, the tone of the brush is simple and simple, all in ink, sketching the scene, no matter birds, flowers and plants are both form and spirit. The picture scroll is divided into 12 sections, and the seams of each section have the double seal of Song Huizong, a total of 11 squares.
The feathers of the birds in the picture are lightly rubbed out with light ink, then over-dyed with thicker ink, and then dyed with thick ink on the key parts of the head, tail, and feather tips, which are depicted in layers, reflecting the soft texture, rich thickness and colorful colors of the bird feathers. The foliage is drawn in a similar way. In particular, the painting method of bamboo leaves is completely consistent with the historical records.
"Sketching Rare Birds" also has wonderful points, such as the retrospective and longing of the eleventh paragraph "Harmony on the Plain", the dynamic and static contrast of "Jasper Amphibious" in the fifth paragraph, and the contemplation of the second paragraph of "The Smoke of the Wind and Birds", all of which are vivid and realistic.
(2) Xunfeng Bird Language Seal: Yi Taihe
Scholars have been studying the paintings of Song Huizong for a long time, and without exception, they will mention "Sketching Rare Birds". In the 60s of the 20th century, in the painting and calligraphy book "Mu Yanzhai Calligraphy and Painting Appreciation Notes - Painting (4)", he used the "Sketch of Rare Birds" as the reference standard when he appraised another ink painting of flowers and birds of Song Huizong, "Four Birds". In the book, the "Song Huizong Four Birds Picture Scroll" commented: "This volume is written by Huizong himself, and the painting method is the same as that of "Sketching Rare Birds".
(3) The seal of the bird is neutralized and dyed
Xie Zhiliu, through the study of the techniques and style of the "Sketching Rare Birds Picture Scroll", compared with the ancient writings, determined that it was written by Huizong of the Song Dynasty in his later years. There is a detailed discussion in the book "The Complete Works of Zhao Ji of Song Huizong" (Shanghai People's Fine Arts Publishing House, 1989 edition) edited by him: ""Illustrated Treasure Book" notes: Zhao Ji is especially good at ink flowers and stones, making ink and bamboo tightly and thinly, regardless of shade, one color of burnt ink, slightly exposed white road in dense places, self-contained, not following the path of the ancients. Now Zhao Ji's ink pen flowers and birds, in addition to "Loquat Mountain Birds", there are also "Four Birds Picture Scroll" and "Sketch Rare Bird Picture Scroll". "Four Birds" is four paragraphs, and "Sketching Rare Birds" has twelve paragraphs. Among them, there is a section of the "Four Birds" of bamboo, and there are four paragraphs of "Sketching Rare Birds", all of which are skimmed out of the shape, all with burnt ink, regardless of shade, the intersection of bamboo leaves, are empty and a white road, so that the two leaves are mixed and not mixed.
It is exactly as the "Illustrated Treasure Book" said, 'the secret place is slightly exposed'. "The Continuation of the Pavilion Records of the Southern Song Dynasty" records: 17 sketches and ink paintings, Xuanhe Yisi Zhongchun gave Zhou Huai, 16 characters. It may be that the "Four Birds Picture Scroll" or the "Sketch Rare Bird Picture Scroll" are scattered among the seventeen paintings of Zhou Huai. The two have the same pen and ink and the same mood, and they were obviously made in the same period. Xuanhe Yisi (1125) is the seventh year of Xuanhe, when Zhao Ji is forty-four years old, and the next year is the first year of Qinzong Jingkang. It is the "Four Birds Picture Scroll", "Sketch of Rare Birds" or the pen of Zhao Ji two years before his exile, which also shows that his style is different from his mid-period works. On page 5 of the same book, "Four Birds" and "Sketching Rare Birds" are his later works in terms of their style. ”
(4) Smile on the day of the flower seal: Qianlong Chenhan
（五）碧玉双栖 钤印：墨云
(6) Qiyuan wind and warmth seal: bath virtue, gargle fragrance
(7) Baitou Gaojie seal: 絜矩, Han Xuan Langjian
(8) Emerald Strip Hustle Seal: Research Dew
(9) Thinning branches to call for rain and seals: Zhen, Bide, and Langrun
(10) Gu Cui Jiao Red Seal: The heart is not far away
(11) The original and the Ming seal: Lotte and the only one
(12) Willing to related seals: Qianlong, a few time to the pool
Song Huizong's "Sketch of Rare Birds" handscroll appreciation