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50

Ink Drawing ‘White Cabbage and Chicks’, attributed to Qi Baishi

Currency:EUR Category:Collectibles Start Price:6,000.00 EUR Estimated At:9,600.00 - 12,000.00 EUR
Ink Drawing ‘White Cabbage and Chicks’, attributed to Qi Baishi
Ink drawing
Attributed to Qi Baishi (1864 – 1957) – a famous modern Chinese painter
Seal and signature of the artist on the left
Measurements, folio: 109 x 39.5 cm
Good condition
Provenance: from the collection of a German couple, which was associated with Beijing artists from the 1950s onwards. A photograph of the couple taken with the famous painter Chang Dai-Chien (Zhang Daqian) can be found with the pictures
This impressive ink painting ‘White Cabbage and Chicks’ on paper, is mounted with fine silk brocades and has wooden handles at the upper and lower ends. It is attributed to the famous Chinese painter Qi Baishi (1864 – 1957). Qi Baishi is particularly well known for his Xieyi-style paintings, which means as much as ‘writing down the concept’. His painting style is discernible by its simple structures with fast-paced, expertly placed brush strokes.



This painting shows seven chicks, a wasp and a white cabbage in the background. The chicks’ plumage is particularly naturalistic; their poses and facial features individuated with masterful brush strokes and fine technique. The grass, wasp and cabbage leaves are extremely fine rendered and highly expressive. The colour of the ink ranges from a light grey tone to deep black. The philosophy of the artist states that paintings should express something between sameness and difference, so his works often feature everyday items like insects, fruits or flowers. His works overflow with liveliness and freshness, expressing his passion for nature – always in deep ink tones.



The characters at the left hand side of the image stand for: 1. and 2.for Baishi, 3. and 4. for Lao Ren= Old Man; 5. and 6. for Qi Huang. The stamp mark comprises three characters, which also mean “Baishi= Old Man”.



The painting ‘White Cabbage and Chicks’ is in good condition. Slight traces of age and wear in the form of folds and slight discolorations, are discernible. The mount has a small tear on the upper side and also shows slight discolouration. The reverse reveals the work’s title ‘White Cabbage and Chicks’ and also carries a label with Chinese characters. It has a mount of string. The work carries the artist’s seal and signature on the front. It measures a total of 191.5 x 53 cm. The dimensions of the folio are 109 x 39.5 cm.



Attribution

Although, there is at the current time no complete catalogue raisonné and no globally acknowledged authority for the authentication of artworks by Qi Baishi, we have decided to attribute this work to this artist, however without any guarantee. The estimated price is according to our assumption. Yet the artist seal, together with the quality and expressiveness of this work clearly speak for the master himself.

Provenance

Furthermore, the artwork’s outstanding provenance also attests to its authenticity as it was acquired by a couple which was associated with Beijing artists from the 1950s onwards. Together with the pictures of the work, you also find a picture of the couple with the grand master Zhang Dagian (Chang Dai-chien), with whom they were friends for decades.

Qi Baishi ??? (1864 – 1957)

Qi Baishi was one of the most famous painters of the 20th century and a proprietor of modernist currents. He was born son of a farmer in 1864, in Xiangtan in the Hunan province. He died 1957 in Beijing. The artist began painting at the age of 14 and started on a tour through China’s famous landscapes in 1904, where he attained great fame. In 1917, Qi Baishi then settled in Beijing. He was voted into the national congress of the people in 1953 and was the first president of the Chinese association of artists. Three years earlier, he was awarded the International Peace Price for 1950, by the World Peace Council. Qi was a frontrunner of modernist painting and developed his own important expressive style, of the so-called Chinese scholarly painting.
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