- 591
Tu Zhuo 1781-1828
Estimate
30,000 - 50,000 USD
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Description
- Tu Zhuo
- HERMIT FISHERMAN IN THE XIE STREAM: PAINTING NUMBER TWO
- ink and color on paper, handscroll
signed Tu Zhuo, dated the twentieth year of the Jiaqing reign (1815), the ninth lunar month, with three seals of the artist, zhuo, meng zhao fu, zao mai yu suo wei lao gui
Inscription by the artist, signed Tu Zhuo and Qinwu, with three seals of the artist, tu zhuo, jiu shi shi zhang, meng zhao fu
Titleslip by Liu Shiheng (1875-1926), signed Congshi, dated yisi, the eighteenth day of the first lunar month (February 21, 1905), with one seal, shi heng
Colophon by Xiang Hongzuo (1798-1835), signed Liansheng Xiang Jizhang, with a dedication to the artist, and one seal, a lian yi sheng; Liu Zhisi (1900-1937), signed Guichi Liu Zhisi, dated wuchen, the twentieth day of the sixth lunar month (August 5, 1928), signed liu zhi si, gong lu
Inscription on box cover by Liu Shiheng, signed Juxue xuan
With one collector's seal of Zhou Xingyi (1833-1904), gu yu fo kan cang; two collector's seals of Liu Shiheng, shi heng zhen mi, liu cong shi cang; and two collector's seals of Liu Zhisi, zhi si si shou, liu zhi si yin
Inscription by the artist, signed Tu Zhuo and Qinwu, with three seals of the artist, tu zhuo, jiu shi shi zhang, meng zhao fu
Titleslip by Liu Shiheng (1875-1926), signed Congshi, dated yisi, the eighteenth day of the first lunar month (February 21, 1905), with one seal, shi heng
Colophon by Xiang Hongzuo (1798-1835), signed Liansheng Xiang Jizhang, with a dedication to the artist, and one seal, a lian yi sheng; Liu Zhisi (1900-1937), signed Guichi Liu Zhisi, dated wuchen, the twentieth day of the sixth lunar month (August 5, 1928), signed liu zhi si, gong lu
Inscription on box cover by Liu Shiheng, signed Juxue xuan
With one collector's seal of Zhou Xingyi (1833-1904), gu yu fo kan cang; two collector's seals of Liu Shiheng, shi heng zhen mi, liu cong shi cang; and two collector's seals of Liu Zhisi, zhi si si shou, liu zhi si yin
Provenance
Christie's New York, Fine Chinese Paintings and Calligraphy, November 3, 1996, lot 362
Exhibited
Journeys on Paper and Silk: The Roy and Marilyn Papp Collection of Chinese Painting, Phoenix Art Museum, February 28-April 19, 1998
Literature
Journeys on Paper and Silk: The Roy and Marilyn Papp Collection of Chinese Painting, Phoenix Art Museum, 1998, cat. 43, p. 132-135
Condition
- Paper bears tanned tone due to age.
- Minor dirt and stain.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.
Catalogue Note
Artist's inscription:
When I was young, I moved about in the district of Yue (Shaoxing). I had two to three companions then and we played about in the Xie Stream. We fished but aimed not at fishing, only enjoying ourselves tirelessly. In the year of bingyin (1806), Master Wang Jiaoqi (Xuehao) of Kunshan painted the [first] Hermit Fisherman in the Xie Stream, to which I appended a short quatrain to evoke my past joys. To [our efforts], a number of gentleman-friends responded in kind.
Recently, I have been serving at Zhenzhou (Yizheng, in Yangzhou prefecture) for between five and six years. Being a man of carefree nature, I found my temperament and administrative work did not match well. Out at the [Yangzi] River, I looked around and saw the expanse of mist and waves, the green reeds and the white birds, and the [horizon] where water and sky fuse and become one. A fisherman's song arose from the willow-shaded shores. My spirit was drawn to this, and I then came to believe that the glory of officialdom was inferior to the peaceful existence of the rain cloak and grass hat. The daily chores of the bureaucracy could in no way match the ease of fishing lines and traps.
Furthermore, fishermen also are not the same as I! The wind and rain over the rivers are quite misty and hard to predict, gluttonous whales and aged flood dragons appear and disappear irregularly. It is not a boat, tiny as a grasshopper, or the strength of a fishing net that could ensnare them. They, too, look afraid and sigh. Tranquility and danger alternate. However, the vastness of the estuary, Jingkou, Mount Chi'an, and Gua pier, as well as the benefits of the mullet, reeves shad, and clams are not where my will lies.
How could I compare to He Zhizhang, who drifts aimlessly, wandering on the lakes after he resigned [his official post as] a Vice Director of the Palace Library? He knocks the side of the boat [in order to frighten the fish into the net] and cleanses the netting in the stream. The wind comes and goes. The waves are as flat as sitting mats. Bream and soft-shelled turtles are plentiful [to catch] and exchange for wine. Could holding a fishing rod and catching salamanders and carp ever be as gratifying to me? Lu You's poem says: "Purchase a fisherman's straw rain cape and retreat to your homeland before aging." I chanted and [considered] it an essential teaching. I retreated to my hometown when I was thirty-five. I believed that [Lu] was not old when he did it. Thus, I drew the Hermit Fisherman in the Xie Stream: Painting Number 2 in order to firm my will and hasten my retreat. Can I do it?
I reside in Xiling. One can fish and retire there, but I did not make a painting about it. The reason I painted Ruoye Stream is because Ruoye is my old residence. Are the two or three young lads of the same village of Yizhuang? They also can quit hunting to go fishing.
- Translation courtesy of Ju-hsi Chou, Xuewen Liu, and Bill Howard
When I was young, I moved about in the district of Yue (Shaoxing). I had two to three companions then and we played about in the Xie Stream. We fished but aimed not at fishing, only enjoying ourselves tirelessly. In the year of bingyin (1806), Master Wang Jiaoqi (Xuehao) of Kunshan painted the [first] Hermit Fisherman in the Xie Stream, to which I appended a short quatrain to evoke my past joys. To [our efforts], a number of gentleman-friends responded in kind.
Recently, I have been serving at Zhenzhou (Yizheng, in Yangzhou prefecture) for between five and six years. Being a man of carefree nature, I found my temperament and administrative work did not match well. Out at the [Yangzi] River, I looked around and saw the expanse of mist and waves, the green reeds and the white birds, and the [horizon] where water and sky fuse and become one. A fisherman's song arose from the willow-shaded shores. My spirit was drawn to this, and I then came to believe that the glory of officialdom was inferior to the peaceful existence of the rain cloak and grass hat. The daily chores of the bureaucracy could in no way match the ease of fishing lines and traps.
Furthermore, fishermen also are not the same as I! The wind and rain over the rivers are quite misty and hard to predict, gluttonous whales and aged flood dragons appear and disappear irregularly. It is not a boat, tiny as a grasshopper, or the strength of a fishing net that could ensnare them. They, too, look afraid and sigh. Tranquility and danger alternate. However, the vastness of the estuary, Jingkou, Mount Chi'an, and Gua pier, as well as the benefits of the mullet, reeves shad, and clams are not where my will lies.
How could I compare to He Zhizhang, who drifts aimlessly, wandering on the lakes after he resigned [his official post as] a Vice Director of the Palace Library? He knocks the side of the boat [in order to frighten the fish into the net] and cleanses the netting in the stream. The wind comes and goes. The waves are as flat as sitting mats. Bream and soft-shelled turtles are plentiful [to catch] and exchange for wine. Could holding a fishing rod and catching salamanders and carp ever be as gratifying to me? Lu You's poem says: "Purchase a fisherman's straw rain cape and retreat to your homeland before aging." I chanted and [considered] it an essential teaching. I retreated to my hometown when I was thirty-five. I believed that [Lu] was not old when he did it. Thus, I drew the Hermit Fisherman in the Xie Stream: Painting Number 2 in order to firm my will and hasten my retreat. Can I do it?
I reside in Xiling. One can fish and retire there, but I did not make a painting about it. The reason I painted Ruoye Stream is because Ruoye is my old residence. Are the two or three young lads of the same village of Yizhuang? They also can quit hunting to go fishing.
- Translation courtesy of Ju-hsi Chou, Xuewen Liu, and Bill Howard
See e-catalogue for full translation of artist's inscriptions and collectors' colophons.