- 1119
ZHANG LING (ACTIVE 1470-1510) | SCHOLAR GAZING AT FARMLANDS FROM A PAVILION
Estimate
160,000 - 220,000 USD
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Description
- Zhang Ling
- SCHOLAR GAZING AT FARMLANDS FROM A PAVILION
- ink and color on paper, hanging scroll
- 145.7 by 70.4 cm. 57 3/8 by 27 3/4 in.
signed Zhang Ling, with one seal of the artist, zhang ling Inscription on mounting border by Zhuang Yan (1899-1980), signed Liuyiweng Yan, dated dingwei (1967), winter, with two seals, liu yi weng, zhuang yan mu ling chang shou; Jiang Zhaoshen (1925-1996), signed Jiang Zhaoshen, dated dingwei (1967), winter, with two seals, jiang zhao shen yin, jiao yuan lang moTitleslip with footnote by Sun Yuhang (1890-1984), signed Huoshan Sun Yuhang, dated guimao (1963), winter, with one seal, sun yu hang yi With five collectors' seals of the Chew family, qiu yong he jian shang zhang, qiu yong he yin, wu zhong ying yin, qiu fu lun yin, qiu fu lun cang huawith one collector's seal of Na Zhiliang (1908-1998), xin ru guo yan; two collector's seals of Li Lincan (1913-1999), jiang yin li shi, li zhuang jiu ren; and two other collector's seals, bai yan tang cang, zhu shi guan fu ge zhen cang yin
Literature
The Carmel Pine Cone, March 25, 1971, vol. 57, no. 12, p. 16
National Palace Museum Quarterly, National Palace Museum, June 1968, issue 1, vol. 3, pp. 6, 47, pl. XI
National Palace Museum Quarterly, National Palace Museum, June 1968, issue 1, vol. 3, pp. 6, 47, pl. XI
Condition
- Paper bears a tanned tone due to age. - Minor horizontal creases can be found. - Minor dirt and stain can be found here and there on the scroll.
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:
The sowing horses cackle in the dewy dawn.
Soaring like great birds, the carts make drum-like sounds.
The master leans against the railing, keenly keeping watch.
Painstakingly working are us farmers. Zhuang Yan's inscription:
You Tong in Mingshi nigao records the life of Zhang Ling: "Zhang Ling, zi Mengjin, was poor but fond of wine, losing all that he earned to it. One morning, Tang Yin once visited him to find him not yet awake, and called his name. Angered, Ling said "I have been suddenly awoken from my sound sleep. How can I get drunk again?" [You Tong] writes also that "Ling was also adept at painting human figures and occasionally painted landscapes, which were resolutely distanced from the mundane world. One could obtain his paintings only by taking advantage of his drunkenness and could never buy them from him." The only other painting by Mengjin I have seen is in the Qing court. It is slightly smaller than this, and slightly less exquisite. Having now been fortunate to see this, so illuminating to the eye and unparalleled in conception, I am inscribing on it in order to remember it.
Jiang Zhaoshen's inscription:
Zhang Mengjin was a disciple of Zhisheng and a bosom friend of Tang Liuru [Tang Yin]. Liuru did not fully understand him. Fang Zhi of Yin County, who became Inspector of Suzhou, disliked people writing ancient-style prose. He learnt about Yin and wanted to harm him. Mengjin was depressed and unable to relieve himself. Liuru comforted him, saying "You have yet to be noticed. Why are you worried?" Mengjin responded, "Have you not heard that when the Dragon King wanted to kill all the tailed creatures, even the shrimps and toads wept?" I am most fond of this response, spoken by a man of true feelings. Seeing this painting now, I think he was spiritually connected with Ziwei [Tang Yin]. The pair were like Boyi and Shuqi. One can imagine the deep friendship they shared then. Every scrap or fragment bearing Liuru's brush trace is not treasured by all, while very few of Mengjin's paintings have survived. An excellent one such as this is to be treasured, to say the least!
Sun Yuhang's titleslip:
Watching the Farmers, an authentic work by Zhang Mengjin of the Ming Dynasty. Note: Zhang Ling, zi Mengjin, a native of Wu. A neighbor of Tang Yin and extremely close to him. Adept at painting landscapes and figures, with very few extant works. This is an exceedingly rare extant work by him, and its value is no less than a Song or a Yuan painting. It should be protected with extreme care. It is unknown who wrote the original inscription. I have written a few words here to inform those to come across this painting in the future.
Zhang Ling, zi Mengjun, was a native of Wu (present-day Suzhou, Jiangsu). According to Wang Luzhi's Wuzhong gushi ji, Wang Zhideng's Wujun danqing zhi, and other historical records, Zhang Ling was a childhood friend of Tang Yin, and many stories about the pair circulated, as Zhuang Yan and Jiang Zhaoshen noted in their inscriptions on the mounting. Wujun danqing zhi suggests that Zhang Ling passed away even before Tang Yin, which explains why so few examples of his poetry and prose have survived, and even fewer paintings. John Ferguson in Lidai zhulu huamu records a total of eight paintings by Zhang Ling, including Summoning Immortals in the Palace Museum in Beijing. There is another Weaver Girl in the Shanghai Museum, and three folding fans and one fan leaf painting in the National Palace Museum in Taipei. It is unclear whether the "piece in the Qing court collection" mentioned by Zhuang Yan is one of the latter four.
Although little direct information about Zhang Ling has survived, records since the Ming dynasty agree on his close relationship with Tang Yin. The two also evidently had similar styles in painting and calligraphy. In the article "Considering Tang Yin's poetry, calligraphy, and painting in the context of his biography," Jiang Zhaoshen notes that Zhang and Tang were bosom friends, "both unbridled wild horses" [1]. Jiang also points out that the only Zhang Ling painting he has seen is Watching the Farmers in the Chew Family Collection, and notes that this painting has much in common with Tang Yin's Forests and Valleys in Late Spring in the National Palace Museum in Taipei [2]. Jiang also cites Wang Zhideng's opinion that Zhang Ling's paintings, compared to Tang Yin's, are noted for their "ink force issuing from his brush." Scholar Gazing at Farmlands From a Pavilion resembles the texture strokes in the mountains of Tang Yin's Mount Kuanglu in Anhui Museum, and the willow trees in his Lone Duck at Dusk in Shanghai Museum. Comparing the current work to Tang Yin’s Farming Instructions in the Suzhou Museum, the orientation and expansion of the mountains and the mist-shrouded trees in the background, the shallow bank, waterside pavilion, and the scholar seated within in the middle ground, and the rocks and river mouth in the foreground are all highly similar.
[1] National Palace Museum Quarterly, National Palace Museum, June 1968, issue 1, vol. 3, p. 47
[2] Ibid., pl. XI
The sowing horses cackle in the dewy dawn.
Soaring like great birds, the carts make drum-like sounds.
The master leans against the railing, keenly keeping watch.
Painstakingly working are us farmers. Zhuang Yan's inscription:
You Tong in Mingshi nigao records the life of Zhang Ling: "Zhang Ling, zi Mengjin, was poor but fond of wine, losing all that he earned to it. One morning, Tang Yin once visited him to find him not yet awake, and called his name. Angered, Ling said "I have been suddenly awoken from my sound sleep. How can I get drunk again?" [You Tong] writes also that "Ling was also adept at painting human figures and occasionally painted landscapes, which were resolutely distanced from the mundane world. One could obtain his paintings only by taking advantage of his drunkenness and could never buy them from him." The only other painting by Mengjin I have seen is in the Qing court. It is slightly smaller than this, and slightly less exquisite. Having now been fortunate to see this, so illuminating to the eye and unparalleled in conception, I am inscribing on it in order to remember it.
Jiang Zhaoshen's inscription:
Zhang Mengjin was a disciple of Zhisheng and a bosom friend of Tang Liuru [Tang Yin]. Liuru did not fully understand him. Fang Zhi of Yin County, who became Inspector of Suzhou, disliked people writing ancient-style prose. He learnt about Yin and wanted to harm him. Mengjin was depressed and unable to relieve himself. Liuru comforted him, saying "You have yet to be noticed. Why are you worried?" Mengjin responded, "Have you not heard that when the Dragon King wanted to kill all the tailed creatures, even the shrimps and toads wept?" I am most fond of this response, spoken by a man of true feelings. Seeing this painting now, I think he was spiritually connected with Ziwei [Tang Yin]. The pair were like Boyi and Shuqi. One can imagine the deep friendship they shared then. Every scrap or fragment bearing Liuru's brush trace is not treasured by all, while very few of Mengjin's paintings have survived. An excellent one such as this is to be treasured, to say the least!
Sun Yuhang's titleslip:
Watching the Farmers, an authentic work by Zhang Mengjin of the Ming Dynasty. Note: Zhang Ling, zi Mengjin, a native of Wu. A neighbor of Tang Yin and extremely close to him. Adept at painting landscapes and figures, with very few extant works. This is an exceedingly rare extant work by him, and its value is no less than a Song or a Yuan painting. It should be protected with extreme care. It is unknown who wrote the original inscription. I have written a few words here to inform those to come across this painting in the future.
Zhang Ling, zi Mengjun, was a native of Wu (present-day Suzhou, Jiangsu). According to Wang Luzhi's Wuzhong gushi ji, Wang Zhideng's Wujun danqing zhi, and other historical records, Zhang Ling was a childhood friend of Tang Yin, and many stories about the pair circulated, as Zhuang Yan and Jiang Zhaoshen noted in their inscriptions on the mounting. Wujun danqing zhi suggests that Zhang Ling passed away even before Tang Yin, which explains why so few examples of his poetry and prose have survived, and even fewer paintings. John Ferguson in Lidai zhulu huamu records a total of eight paintings by Zhang Ling, including Summoning Immortals in the Palace Museum in Beijing. There is another Weaver Girl in the Shanghai Museum, and three folding fans and one fan leaf painting in the National Palace Museum in Taipei. It is unclear whether the "piece in the Qing court collection" mentioned by Zhuang Yan is one of the latter four.
Although little direct information about Zhang Ling has survived, records since the Ming dynasty agree on his close relationship with Tang Yin. The two also evidently had similar styles in painting and calligraphy. In the article "Considering Tang Yin's poetry, calligraphy, and painting in the context of his biography," Jiang Zhaoshen notes that Zhang and Tang were bosom friends, "both unbridled wild horses" [1]. Jiang also points out that the only Zhang Ling painting he has seen is Watching the Farmers in the Chew Family Collection, and notes that this painting has much in common with Tang Yin's Forests and Valleys in Late Spring in the National Palace Museum in Taipei [2]. Jiang also cites Wang Zhideng's opinion that Zhang Ling's paintings, compared to Tang Yin's, are noted for their "ink force issuing from his brush." Scholar Gazing at Farmlands From a Pavilion resembles the texture strokes in the mountains of Tang Yin's Mount Kuanglu in Anhui Museum, and the willow trees in his Lone Duck at Dusk in Shanghai Museum. Comparing the current work to Tang Yin’s Farming Instructions in the Suzhou Museum, the orientation and expansion of the mountains and the mist-shrouded trees in the background, the shallow bank, waterside pavilion, and the scholar seated within in the middle ground, and the rocks and river mouth in the foreground are all highly similar.
[1] National Palace Museum Quarterly, National Palace Museum, June 1968, issue 1, vol. 3, p. 47
[2] Ibid., pl. XI