Written by: Kayan Chan
The spring auction is over, the autumn auction is not yet coming, but the auction world has not calmed down. Sotheby's Hong Kong is now holding an online auction of mid-season calligraphy and paintings, bringing nearly 100 pieces of ancient and modern calligraphy and paintings, mainly elegant sketches, which can be enjoyed and decorated, and the valuation is more suitable for new collectors. Bids are now accepted and will end at 12pm (Beijing time) on August 11.
In terms of modern calligraphy and painting, this online auction brought three frames of Dongqiao calligraphy, of which the work "Small Landscape" was written specifically for this auction. In addition, there are sketches by famous literati from Guangdong, contemporary ink artists, and even famous artists such as Li Keyan and Huang Junbi.
Lot 801| Dong Qiao (b. 1942) "Xingshu "Small Landscape"" ink sprinkled with gold notes unframed
Created in: 2021
Size: 21.7 x 70cm
Estimate: HK$26,000 - 40,000
Dong Qiao is based on the literary world for nearly half a century, writing and other bodies, like to make pen and ink, but also love to play small pieces. In recent years, he has successively released his collection, and the market response has been enthusiastic. This time, it is not his collection that appears on the Internet, but his autograph ink treasure.
This time, he specially wrote "small scenery" on a gold note for this auction, which just echoed the theme of the auction - elegant calligraphy and painting sketches are like frames of small landscapes. These three words have a special meaning for Dong Qiao, who used them as a column title and published them in a book in 2003.
This great writer works tirelessly and loves to write calligraphy for self-amusement on weekdays. His calligraphy works are very popular with collectors, such as the 2020 auction of "The Reader's Home", which was estimated to be only HK$38,000 - 50,000, and sold for HK$252,000, far exceeding the estimate.
Dong Qiao's "Reader's Home" ink sprinkled with gold notes mirror frame | HK$252,000 sold
Dong Qiao
Lot 802| Dong Qiao (b. 1942) "Xingshu Jiyu Seven Words Lian" ink on paper unframed
Size: 50.5 x 11.1cm x 2
Estimate: HK$28,000 - 40,000
Another calligraphy work, written "Qinse is quiet for a hundred years, mandarin duck wings are always peaceful", the meaning is auspicious. Made of old Qing Dynasty couplet paper, the paper is slightly plush to the touch, and the size is small and chic. Dong Qiao himself even said: "The old paper is yellowed, the old is cute, I like it very much!"
Lot 803| Dong Qiao (b. 1942) "Xingshu Liang Ren Gong Gifts Hu Shizhi Collection Song Ci Lian" ink sprinkled gold note unframed
Size: 100 x 14 cm x 2
Estimate: HK$32,000 - 50,000
Li Keyan and Huang Junbi are both stars in the auction of calligraphy and painting, and their masterpieces are expensive, so that many collectors can only look at the door and sigh. However, they also have a number of elegant pieces, which are well valued and suitable for new collectors to try.
Lot 831| Li Kejian (1907-1989) "Ku yin tu" colored vertical scroll on paper
Created in: 1983
Size: 67.5 x 45.3cm
Seal: "Lee", "Dyeable", "Send Affection", "Chen Yan Wu Go"
Source: Old Collection of the Markbreiter Family
Estimate: HK$400,000 - 600,000
Li Keyan is famous for his landscape paintings, his ink is heavy, and his works are simple and humble, and they are unique and are known as "Li Family Landscape". In addition to landscapes, Li Keyan is also proficient in figure painting, with a completely different style, simple composition, simple and full of life interest.
This work is called "Bitter Yin Tu", and it can be seen from the inscription that the inspiration for this work came from the Tang Dynasty poet Jia Dao. Li Keyan is known for his hard work, and especially respects Jia Dao's spirit of scrutinizing bitterness, so he wrote this picture to encourage himself. Since the early 1980s, he has repeatedly composed "Bitter YinTu", and the composition is much the same.
In the painting, the poet's face is very simple, and his eyebrows and whiskers seem to be squeezed together, which is the embarrassment of hard thinking; the waxy white paper reflects the situation of not saying a word all night. Its pen is slow, the lines are solemn, supplemented by thick ink, which coincides with the meaning of bitter groaning. On the painting is printed "Chen Yan Wu Go", and the content of the print is interlocked with the inscription, which shows the meticulousness of the painter.
It is the collection of Tuyet Nguyet (1934-2020), founder of Arts of Asia magazine, and Stephen Markbreiter (1921-2014). The two have loved oriental art all their lives, and the collection is very rich, and the collection has been released in recent years.
Lot 805| Huang Junbi (1898-1991) "Autumn Mountain Rafting" colored paper
Created in: 1971
Size: 89.8 x 48.5cm
Source: The current collector is from the person above
Estimate: HK$20,000 - 40,000
Huang Junbi, a master of contemporary Chinese painting, together with Zhang Daqian and Pu Ru, is known as the "Three Houses of Crossing the Sea". He not only deeply studied traditional brush and ink, but also emphasized innovation, and appropriately integrated Western painting techniques.
This "Autumn Mountain Rafting" writes that a coat of arms swims alone on the water, dying the mountain in autumn, and the red flowers are dotted with branches. This was a good response, with an estimated value of HK$20,000 - 40,000, and by the time of writing (No. 3) it had received 12 bids to HK$50,000.
This online auction brought a number of groups of famous artists from the late Qing Dynasty to the Republic of China, most of which were from the private collection of Nanyang. Wu Xianzeng's group painted "Snow Map" and "Children's Fun Map", children either chased each other and played, or cooperated in building snowmen, all of which saw the childish state.
The other group is from Fan Xu and Uncle Ye Man, each drawing a picture of a beautiful woman, with a delicate and smooth pen, elegant and gentle.
Lot 815| Wu Xianzeng (1908-1970) into a set of colored paper
(1) Wu Xianzeng's "Snow Painting", Tan Zemin's (1889-1948) "Xingshu (Thirty Pieces of Palace Words) Six"
Size: 18.8 x 51cm
〈2〉 Wu Xianzeng's "Children's Fun Map"
Size: 18.2 x 48.5cm
Created in: 1943
Source: Nanyang Private Collection
Estimate: HK$10,000 - 20,000
Lot 821| Fan Xu (late Qing Dynasty) and Ye Manshu (1899-1984) into a group of colored paper copies
(1) Fan Xuan's "Basho Lady", Wang Da Xie's (1859-1929) "Xingshu Wang's Silent Poems"
Created in: 1867
Size: 19.2 x 52.5cm
(2) Ye Manshu's "Jade Bone Ice Posture", Huang Yuanrui (1906-1971) "Xingshu Chen Jinghong's Mountain Residence Even Yin")
Created in: 1944
Size: 18 x 44.5cm
Estimate: HK$8,000 - 12,000
In terms of ancient calligraphy and painting, this auction is based on ancient landscapes and rivers, and there are many calligraphy works, which are interesting and elegant. The following two calligraphies are from Guangdong celebrities, which can give a glimpse of the pen and ink from Lingnan.
Lot 861| Wu Rongguang (1773-1843) "Xingshu Wuyan Lian" ink gold letter vertical shaft pair
Size: 63.5 x 11.2cm
Wu Rongguang was a famous resident of Lingnan, a native of Nanhai (present-day Guangzhou, Guangdong), a poet, calligrapher, bibliophile, and proficient in identification. He entered the army in the fourth year of Jiaqing (1799), and during the Daoguang years, he became the governor of Hunan and the governor of Huguang. He also founded the Xiangshui School in Changsha to teach Sinology, and Zuo Zongtang, a famous minister of the late Qing Dynasty, was also his student.
He worked in calligraphy, taking fa su dongpo, Ouyang inquiry, etc., and Kang Youwei evaluated his calligraphy as "the crown of my Cantonese".
These five words are linked to the yungu, that is, Ye Menglong (1775-1832), the official to Hubu Langzhong. Extremely collectible. His son Ye Yingqi was the husband of Wu Rongguang Qianjin Wu Xiaohe, so the above paragraph is referred to as "pro-family".
Size: 17.5 x 52.7cm
Estimate: HK$5,000 - 8,000
Liang Yaoshu, a native of Shunde County, Guangzhou Province, was the last ruler in Guangdong in the tenth year of Tongzhi (1871). He devoted his life to literature and education, especially education, was honest and diligent for the officials, and vigorously advocated the elimination of the accumulated shortcomings of the science field, which was highly praised. Liang Yaoshu was not only good at literature, but also had a clear eyebrow and extraordinary temperament, which was even reused by the empress dowager of the two palaces. His calligraphy is dignified and elegant, and he has left a lot of ink in the Forbidden City in Beijing and his hometown of Shunde.
Other featured lots:
Lot 839| Chen Fushan (1905-1995) "Christmas Gifts" colored frame on paper
Created in: 1978
Size: 38.5 x 108cm
Estimate: HK$40,000 - 60,000
Lot 838| Zhou Luyun (1924-2011) "Shock" coloring paper
Size: 90.2 x 87 cm
Source: Private collection in Germany
Estimate: HK$30,000 - 50,000
Lot 825| Tang Yun (1910-1993) "Seven Sayings of the Book of Conduct" on ink paper unframed
Size: 78 x 16cm x2
Source: "Hundred Swords Hall" Chen Fan Old Collection
Lot 845 | Anhe (b. 1927) "Green Island Evergreen" set color silk
Size: 37.3 x 26.9cm
Lot 847| Tai Xiangzhou (b. 1968) "Qimu" ink on paper frame
Created in: 2014
Size: 117 x 60.4cm
Estimate: HK$80,000 - 120,000
Auction details
Auction house: Sotheby's Hong Kong
Special Session: Small Landscapes - Chinese Painting and Calligraphy Online Auction
Preview Dates:
2021/8/7｜11am - 5pm
2021/8/9 - 10｜10am - 6pm
Preview venue: 5th floor, Swire Place 1, 88 Queensway
Auction Date: 2021/7/30 - 8/11(12pm Closing)