SHITAO (1642-1707) - photo 1
SHITAO (1642-1707) - photo 2
SHITAO (1642-1707) - photo 3

SHITAO (1642-1707)

Lot 886
02.12.2023 10:30UTC +08:00
Classic
Starting price
HKD 13 000 000
AuctioneerCHRISTIE'S
Event locationHong Kong, Hong Kong
Archive
The auction is completed. No bids can be placed anymore.
Archive
ID 1086676
Lot 886 | SHITAO (1642-1707)
Estimate value
HKD 13 000 000 – 18 000 000
SHITAO (1642-1707)

Yellow Peonies

Hanging scroll, ink and colour on paper

149.5 x 52.5 cm. (58 7⁄8 x 20 5⁄8 in.)

Inscribed and further inscribed, with a total of six seals of the artist

Three collector’s seals: one of Xu Maoxun (20th Century) and two of Xu Bangda (1911-2012)

Titleslip on the mounting

Titleslip by Wu Hufan (1894-1968), with one seal





Literature

Jin Yuan, Paintings and Calligraphy Records of Ten Hundreds Studio, Vol. IV, in Complete Compendium of Chinese Painting and Calligraphy, Vol. 7, Shanghai Painting and Calligraphy Publishing, Shanghai, October 1993, p.553.

Gu Wenbin, Paintings and Calligraphy of Guoyunlou, Vol. 5 Painting Section 5, in Selected Works on Classical Paintings and Calligraphy: Paintings and Calligraphy of Guoyunlou · Paintings and Calligraphy of Yuexuelou, Shanghai Rare Books Publishing, Shanghai, August 2011, pp.169-170.

Gu Wenbin, Gu Linshi, Combined Works on Paintings and Calligraphy of Guoyunlou, Vol. 9 Painting Section 5, in Jiangsu Literature Series: Combined Works on Paintings and Calligraphy of Guoyunlou, Jiangsu Rare Books Publishing, Nanjing, August 1999, pp.142-143.

Zheng Wei of Shanghai Museum ed., Shitao, Shanghai People’s Fine Art Publishing, Shanghai, May 1990, p.50.

Li Wancai, Research on Ming and Qing Masters Series: Shitao, Jilin Fine Art Publishing, Changchun, 1996, pp.267, 269, 291.

Wang Shiqing, Poetry by Shitao, Hebei Education Publishing House, Shijiazhuang, April 2006, p.150.

Zhang Heng, Zhang Congyu’s Dairy•Poetry Manuscript, Shanghai Paintings and Calligraphy Publishing House, July 2011, p.49.



Further details

Shitao’s Blossoms: Stories of the Shadow Garden and the Yellow Peonies

During the Ming Dynasty, hosting poetry and painting salons was a prevailing fashion amongst the Jiangnan literati. Located at the outskirts of Yangzhou, the distinguished Shadow Garden was the most prestigious venue for literati gathering. Of all the enchanting stories it had bred, those related to the Yellow Peonies Poetry Society were believed to be the most enduring.
The Shadow Garden was created by Zheng Yuanxun (1603-1644), a native of She county in Anhui province. Born to a prominent salt industry family, he passed the imperial examination in 1624 and in 1643, he achieved the title of jinshi (advanced scholar). In 1632 he presented the architectural blueprint of his garden construction to Dong Qichang, whom proposed to name it Shadow Garden, as it was surrounded by the shadows of willow, water and mountain. Directed by a renowned garden designer Ji Cheng, the construction commenced in the summer of 1634 and completed eight months later.
In 1640, Zheng invited his literati friends to appreciate the blossoming yellow peonies and chant poems in the Shadow Garden. A pair of delicate gold cups incised with ‘the best-appreciated yellow peony’ in the interiors were prepared to reward the poet laureate. Through the intellectual Mao Pijiang, Zheng invited the reputable Qian Qianyi to judge the contest. Eventually Li Suiqiu (1602-1646) won the championship with his ten poems In Praise of the Yellow Peonies in the Shadow Garden. It was a sensational event in Jiangnan.
Since the Qing Dynasty, this event had made a far-reaching impact, especially in the Canton area where Li was a native. Similar literati events were held in private gardens and until 1919, gatherings inspired by the Yellow Peonies Poetry Society still occurred.
Shitao’s Yellow Peonies was commissioned by the Holding Jar Master, with Li’s ten poems and the forementioned story inscribed in the upper portion of the painting. It was recorded in Paintings and Calligraphy Records of Ten Hundreds Studio and Paintings and Calligraphy of Guoyunlou written by Qing scholars Jin Yuan and Gu Wenbin respectively. According to The Diary of Chouyi by Wu Hufan, on 20 September 1938 he viewed two paintings including Yellow Peonies at the residence of Xu Bangda, and Xu regarded both as exceptional works. Besides, collector Zhang Congyu visited Xu Bangda on 4 October 1938 and Yellow Peonies was one of Xu’s recent acquisitions that displayed for him. He asked Xu, ‘The painting was commissioned by the Holding Jar Master. Isn’t he Jiangcun (Gao Shiqi) then?’ It was not a groundless assumption which requires further investigation. After 1967, Yellow Peonies was once in the collection of Shanghai Museum and published by the Shanghai Museum.
The repercussions of Yellow Peonies continued: inspired by Shitao’s masterpiece and the related poems composed in the Shadow Garden, Wang Shishen created his version of Yellow Peonies in 1728. In the universe where poetry and painting connect, chanting verses is just the prologue to graceful stories of noble peers!
Address of auction CHRISTIE'S
18 Chater Road Central
Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Preview
02.12.2023 – 02.12.2023
Phone +85227601766
Fax +852 2760 1767
Email
4FQ.AYGKAGLUQ@SGASFO3G@
Conditions of purchaseConditions of purchase
Business hoursBusiness hours
Mo 09:30 – 18:00   
Tu 09:30 – 18:00   
We 09:30 – 18:00   
Th 09:30 – 18:00   
Fr 09:30 – 18:00   
Sa closed
Su closed

More from Creator

WITH SIGNATURE OF SHITAO (19TH CENTURY)
WITH SIGNATURE OF SHITAO (19TH CENTURY)
HKD20 000
SHITAO (1642-1707)
SHITAO (1642-1707)
HKD2 000 000
SHITAO (1642-1707)
SHITAO (1642-1707)
HKD1 500 000
SHITAO (ATTRIBUTED TO, 1642-1707)
SHITAO (ATTRIBUTED TO, 1642-1707)
HKD500 000
SHITAO (1642-1707)
SHITAO (1642-1707)
HKD3 000 000
ATTRIBUTED TO SHITAO
ATTRIBUTED TO SHITAO
HKD30 000

Related terms

Frequently asked questions

First of all, you should register to be able to purchase at auction. After confirming your email address, enter your personal information in your user profile, such as your first name, last name, and mail address. Choose a lot from the upcoming auction and the maximum amount you want to place on it. After confirmation of your choice, we will send your application by e-mail to the appropriate auction house. If the auction house accepts a request, it will participate in the auction. You can view the current status of a bid at any time in your personal account in the "Bids" section.
Auctions are performed by auction houses and each of the auction houses describes their terms of auction. You can see the texts in the section "Auction information".
The results of the auction are published within a few days after the end of the auction. In the top menu of the site, find the tab "Auctions". Click on it and you will be on the auction catalog page, where you can easily find the category "Results". After opening it, select the desired auction from the list, enter and view the current status of the interested lot.
The information about the auction winners is confidential. The auction winner will receive a direct notification from the auction house responsible with instructions for further action: an invoice for payment and the manner in which the goods will be received.
Each of the auction houses has its own payment policy for the won lots. All auction houses accept bank transfers, most of them accept credit card payments. In the near future you will find detailed information for each case in the section "Auction information" on the page of the auction catalog and the lot.
Shipment of the won lot depends on its size. Small items can be delivered by post. Larger lots are sent by courier. Employees of the auction houses will offer you a wide range to choose from.
No. The archive serves as a reference for the study of auction prices, photographs and descriptions of works of art.