Lot 54
REN YI (REN BONIAN, CHINESE, 1840-1896), SHANGHAI SCHOOL
TWO CHINESE 'BIRD AND FLOWER' FAN PAINTINGS
Auction: Brushes Across Empire | Wed 11th March from 10am | Lots 1 to 179
Description
海派 任頤 花鳥圖扇頁 水墨設色紙本 鏡框（兩幅）
款識一：雪峰仁兄大人雅正。伯年任頤
鈐印一：任伯年、頤印
款識二： 雪峰仁兄大人雅正。伯年任頤寫於海上寓齋
鈐印二：任頤印
both ink and colour on gold ground paper, fan-shaped album leaves, signed and seals of the artist, framed (2)
Dimensions
51cm wide each
Provenance
Acquired by Sir James Stewart Lockhart (1858-1937) through Tse Tsan-tai (1872-1938), Hong Kong, 17 September 1910, for HK $18 as two of a set of three (Sir James Stewart Lockhart, Notebook, dated 1910-1921, p. 345, NLS Acc. 12695/26c);
Gifted to his daughter, Mary Stewart Lockhart (1894-1985);
Presented by the above to George Watson’s College, Edinburgh in 1967;
Lent to the National Museums of Scotland, Edinburgh (2004-2025).
Exhibition:
London, Betty Joel Gallery, Exhibition of Modern Chinese Pictures and Fans together with a Collection of Ancient Fans, 20 January-15 February 1936, catalogue nos. 9-11;
Edinburgh, City Art Centre, An Ardent Collector, December 1982 / January 1983, catalogue nos. 31 & 32 , illustrated p. 9.
Footnote
Ren Yi (1840–1895), courtesy name Bonian, was one of the "Four Great Masters of the Shanghai School." He was a versatile artist, proficient in figures, flowers and birds, and landscapes. His art originated from folk traditions, emphasising sketching from life and skillfully incorporating Western sketching and watercolour techniques.
In his early years, his figure paintings followed the style of Chen Hongshou, characterised by exaggerated forms. Later, he integrated life sketching and pencil drawing, resulting in a simplified, unrestrained style with an exceptional expressive ability to capture the spirit and likeness of his subjects. His flower-and-bird paintings combined meticulous detail with freehand expression, creating a bright and warm effect that had a profound influence on later generations. Xu Beihong once praised him as "the foremost Chinese painter after Qiu Shizhou.”
任頤（1840-1895), 字伯年，是海派中的集大成者，「海派四傑」之一。他技法全面，人物、花鳥、山水無一不能。其畫發軔於民間，重視寫生，並巧妙融入西方速寫與水彩技法。其人物畫早年師從陳洪綬，形象誇張，後融入寫生與鉛筆速寫，變得簡逸奔放，傳神寫照能力極高；花鳥畫則兼工帶寫，明快溫馨，對後世影響深遠。徐悲鴻曾譽其為「仇十洲之後中國畫家第一人」。
Sold to Benefit George Watson's College, Edinburgh
捐助愛丁堡喬治沃森學院義賣
Special Note: An original exhibition catalogue of An Ardent Collector, Edinburgh, City Art Centre, December 1982- January 1983 is included together with this lot.