Dai Jin 1388-1462

signed Qiantang Dai Jin, with two seals of the artist, wen jin zhi yin, and one other (illegible). Frontispiece and colophon by Zhou Tianqiu (1514-1595), signed Zhou Tianqiu, and Wuxia Zhou Tianqiu, with four seals, zhou shi gong xia, zhi yuan ju shi, qun yu shan ren, zhou shi gong xia. With two seals of the collector Li Jian (1747-1799), li jian jian gu, er qiao shan ren; three seals of the collector He Guanwu (active early 20th century), guan wu qing shang, li pu xin shang, tian xi shu wu jian cang; and three other collectors' seals, lu jiang, zi sun bao zhi, gu chu zi

Sotheby's London, The Mu-Fei Collection of Chinese Paintings, November 7, 2007, Lot 112

Mu-Fei Ts'ang Hua K'ao P'ing: A Study of Ming and Ch'ing Paintings in the Mu-Fei Collection, Ch'eng Hsi and Cheng Te-k'un, Hong Kong, 1965

- Overall in good condition considering the age and length of the scroll - The mounting has significantly stabilized the condition of the painting - Silk bears a tanned tone due to age - Minor color fading due to age - Considerable silk losses can be found throughout the painting, largely concentrated at the upper and lower portions of the scroll - Minor scratches and stained spots can be found here and there throughout the painting
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
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Colophon:
"I happened to be sitting by my window on a rainy day, having a look through paintings and books, when I saw that the brush-strokes of this scroll had a flying force and the application of ink was brilliant. Wind-driven waves without limit, remarkable cloudy mountains; city outskirts of expansive form, misty trees with the ultimate in faint vagueness. The ten thousand miles of the Yangtse River all appear before one's eyes: truly this is a divine brush. Before I realized it my heart was moved and my spirit soared. Truly a jewel-like treasure. Noted by Zhou Tianqiu of Suzhou."
Translation courtesy of Dr. Alison Hardie, Leeds University

Notes:
As Cheng Xi wrote in Mu-Fei Ts'ang Hua K'ao P'ing: A Study of Ming and Ch'ing Paintings in the Mu-Fei Collection (Ch'eng Hsi and Cheng Te-k'un, Hong Kong, 1965):
Now viewing this majestic scroll by Dai Wenjin is like reading a long ballad of seven-character lines. What a joy! The painting opens in the deep distance where sea and sky meet, with several seabirds and fishing boats going to and fro. Next, a riverside village with a pier appears, and dense forests gradually come into being. These passages are painted in the Mi-family style, with mountaintops by turns revealed and concealed by clouds. Then we see a fishing harbor beside a plain, populated with leafless trees and wild game. Distant mountains and returning sails set a mood of tranquility and ease. Then forests again spring up, and in their midst a solitary temple on a precipitous cliff suddenly appears. Travelers journey along the crooked shores and unkempt bridges. The painting’s mood and force are transformed yet again. Then there are city walls and village houses with smoke coming out of them, rice paddies and willows, leading us into the lives of farmers. Afterwards, we see striking layers of boulders and cliffs from which tall pine trees are suspended. Lofty scholars and recluses stroll with their walking sticks and gaze casually away. The path winds around the twisting peak, revealing in turn a host of remote mountains in each other’s tranquil company.

With regards to the painting's overall brush method, the mood of the Ma-Xia school is predominant. But what is wrong with accompanying string and wind instruments with shining spears and armored horses? Even in the passages of complication and transformation, there are no signs of forced suturing-verily the work of a great master. It is such a long scroll, and yet is as if completed in a single breath, with an unchanging essence from beginning to end. This also shows that behind Wenjin’s renown is truly a great artist.

Wenjin's painting was widely celebrated during the Ming dynasty. Some people of later times did not appreciate his importance only because there were too many fakes, which vulgar people could not identify as such. Even the Xuanzong Emperor, himself proficient in painting, praised the "Solitary Fisher in Autumn River". Wenjin wanted to be put to great service and so painted the fisher's clothing red, but because of Xie Huan's jealousy he had to hide his name. (This incident is recorded in Jiang Shaoshu's Wusheng shishi.) In short, this was not the fault of his art. Xu Xin in Minghua lu writes that Wenjin "went into reclusion after experiencing Xie's jealousy and died in poverty. Only after his death was he celebrated as a supreme artist." Likewise, Li Tiaoyuan in Zhonglu shupin claims that "after death, he achieved greater fame, and his paintings became more valuable."

A painter's fortunes and his use of the six methods of painting are of course sometimes unrelated. He Liangjun's Siyouzhai hualun, Li Tiaoyuan's Zhonglu huapin, and Huimiao attributed to Mao Yixiang all celebrate Wenjin to the utmost and acclaim him as first among painters. Wusheng shishi also refers to him as foremost in the Zhe school of painting. Can all this be coincidental? Zhou Lianggong in Shuying records anecdote from people of Jinling: "Dai Wenjin arrived in Jinling during the early years of the Yongle reign. His things were taken away by a mean person. Wenjin borrowed a brush from a wine-shop and painted his appearance to show the public. Some laborers yelled, 'That's so and so!' Wenjin followed their lead and recovered his loss." From this we can imagine how his painting captured a person's authentic spirit and appearance. Stories transmitted through the ages may have been embellished, but Dai clearly enjoyed great fame even among the general populace. His landscape paintings were close in method to the Southern Song masters excelled the styles of the Yuan and Ming literati. According to Zhonglu huapin, "Wenjin's painting originates in Ma Yuan, Xia Gui, Li Tang, Dong Yuan, Fan Kuan, Mi Yuanzhang, Guan Tong, Zhao Qianli, Liu Songnian, Sheng Zizhao, Zhao Zi'ang, Huang Zijiu, Gao Fangshan. He surpassed Yuan painters but was behind Song painters." These comparisons are a little strange and seem to reflect a skewed understanding. According to Minghua lu, "Wenjin's landscape painting originates in Guo Xi, Li Tang, Ma Yuan, and Xia Gui, but its virtuosic aspects were all due to himself." This comment is fairer. Judging from Wenjin's training, one sees that Ming painters were most indebted to the Ma-Xia school. Zhonglu huapin also comments that he "not only excelled at painting, but his conduct was equally lofty and pure." Thus one knows that his unencumbered style came from within himself.