Artist: Zhang DaQian (1899 - 1983) Mountain Retreat among Pines The present work depicts a secluded mountain retreat nestled among towering pines and precipitous cliffs. Rising peaks, cascading waterfalls, and dense groves of ancient trees create a dramatic vertical composition, while small architectural elements and diminutive figures emphasize the grandeur of nature. Executed with vigorous brushwork and layered ink textures, the landscape demonstrates a synthesis of traditional literati methods and modern expressive energy. The rocky formations are constructed through repeated texture strokes and dense ink washes, while the pine trees are rendered with animated brush lines that convey both strength and age. Delicate touches of color within the foliage and distant vegetation provide subtle visual contrast against the predominantly monochrome palette. The composition recalls the monumental landscapes of the Northern Song masters while incorporating stylistic elements associated with late Ming and Qing literati painting. The interplay of towering mountains, hidden pavilions, and winding paths evokes the idealized realm of scholarly retreat, a recurring theme throughout Chinese landscape painting. The work reflects an admiration for classical prototypes while presenting a personal interpretation of the mountain world. Ink and color on paper, Yisebiao mount, Vertical Axis hanging Scroll Painting (Sight): 178cm H x 70cm W Dated: In The Eleventh Months of BingXu Year (1946) Signed/Seal(s): Signed, with two seals PROVENANCE: Acquired from a prominent collector, representing an important private collections. The collections presented and offered up to auctions from Lot 25 through Lot 136; and additional related documents and or manuscripts from Lot 137 to Lot 228. Wei Tao-Ming (Wei Daoming), (October 28, 1899 - May 18, 1978) was a prominent Chinese diplomat, statesman, and senior official of the Republic of China. Born in Jiangxi Province, he studied law in the United States and became active in the Nationalist government under Chiang Kai-shek. During the Second World War, Wei served as the Republic of China's Ambassador to the United States from 1942 to 1946, playing an important role in strengthening Sino-American relations during the Allied war effort. He later held several key government positions, including Governor of Taiwan Province (1947-1949), Ambassador to Japan, and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China from 1966 to 1971. Wei remained an influential figure in Chinese diplomacy throughout the mid-twentieth century and was closely involved in the Republic of China's international affairs during a period of major political transition in East Asia. ARTIST BIO: Zhang Daqian (1899 - 1983), original name Zhang Yuan and pseudonym Daqian, was one of the best - known and most prodigious Chinese artists of the twentieth century. He is also regarded by many art experts as one of the most gifted master forgers of the twentieth century. He excelled at all types of paintings, and is especially famous for his landscape, as well as lotus paintings. As a child, Zhang Daqian was encouraged by his family to pursue painting. In 1917 his elder brother, Zhang Shanzi (an artist famous for his tiger paintings), accompanied him to Kyoto, Japan, to study textile dyeing. Two years later, Zhang Daqian went to Shanghai to receive traditional painting instruction from two famous calligraphers and painters of the time, Zeng Xi and Li Ruiqing. Through his association with these teachers, Zhang had the opportunity to study some works by ancient masters in detail. His early style attempted to emulate the Ming - Qing Individualists, including Tang Yin, Chen Hongshou , and Shitao. He meticulously studied and copied their works and began to make forgeries; his paintings after Shitao successfully deceived some of the best connoisseurs. After his early success in Shanghai, Zhang extended his career to the north in the late 1920s, when he became active in the cultural circles of Beijing. He began to collaborate with the well - known Beijing painter Pu Xinyu, and together they became known as the South Zhang and North Pu, an epithet that is still used to refer to their collaborative works of the 1930s. In 1940 Zhang Daqian led a group of artists to the caves of Mogao and Yulin. for the purpose of copying their Buddhist wall paintings. The group completed over 200 paintings, and the experience left Zhang with a repository of religious imagery. During the Sino - Japanese War, the artist zealously studied traditional Tang - Song figure painting and ancient monumental landscape painting. His love of tradition was also reflected in his personal collection of ancient Chinese paintings, which he began early in his career. At its peak, his collection contained several hundred works from the Tang to Qing dynasties. In reaction to the political climate in 1949, Zhang left China in the early 1950s. He resided in various places, including Mendoza, Argentina; Sao Paulo, Brazil; and Carmel, California. His meeting with Pablo Picasso in 1956 in Nice, France, was publicized as an artistic meeting between East and West. Hang Daqian developed eye problems in the late 1950s. As his eyesight deteriorated, he developed his mature splashed color (pocai) style. Although he attributed this style in part to the splashed - ink technique of the ancient painter Wang Mo (also known as Wang Qia , many believe it to be related to that of the Abstract Expressionist movement then popular in the United States and a departure from that of his traditional paintings. Zhang's splashed - color paintings fetched the highest market prices for contemporary Chinese paintings at international auctions of the time. In 1978 the artist settled in Taipei, Taiwan. His residence, Moye Jingshe, next to the National Palace Museum, is now the Memorial Museum of Zhang Daqian.
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Acquired from a prominent collector, representing an important private collections. The collections presented and offered up to auctions from Lot 25 through Lot 136; and additional related documents and or manuscripts from Lot 137 to Lot 228. Wei Tao-Ming (Wei Daoming), (October 28, 1899 - May 18, 1978) was a prominent Chinese diplomat, statesman, and senior official of the Republic of China. Born in Jiangxi Province, he studied law in the United States and became active in the Nationalist government under Chiang Kai-shek. During the Second World War, Wei served as the Republic of China's Ambassador to the United States from 1942 to 1946, playing an important role in strengthening Sino-American relations during the Allied war effort. He later held several key government positions, including Governor of Taiwan Province (1947-1949), Ambassador to Japan, and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China from 1966 to 1971. Wei remained an influential figure in Chinese diplomacy throughout the mid-twentieth century and was closely involved in the Republic of China's international affairs during a period of major political transition in East Asia.
Dai-chien Chang

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