Lot 112

[PROPERTY OF THE ROBERT BURNS WORLD FEDERATION] HUANG YONGYU (CHINESE, 1924-2023)

RARE PORTRAIT OF ROBERT BURNS, DATED 1981

Fine Asian Works of Art

Auction: 07 November 2025 from 10:00 GMT

Estimate: £3,000 - £5,000

Description

黃永玉（1924-2023）一九八一年作蘇格蘭詩人羅伯特·彭斯肖像及行書《自由樹》水墨紙本鏡框

款識: 你曾否聽說法蘭西有棵大樹？你知道它叫什麼名字？……讓我們祈禱會有一天來到，古老的英格蘭也把這顆名樹種好！這未來的一天呵，讓我們放開歌喉，愉快地迎接自由！彭斯。自由樹；一九八一年春天，黃永玉作於北京三里河。
鈐印: 永玉，黄押

ink on paper, inscribed on right margin with ‘The Tree of Liberty’ calligraphy in Chinese, lower right margin dated to 1981, signed, two seals of the artist ‘Yong Yu’ and ‘Huang Ya’, framed

Dimensions

49.5cm x 97cm; frame: 126cm x 80cm

Provenance

Property of the Robert Burns World Federation; Presented and given to the Scottish representatives by the artist at the first Burns Night in Beijing in 1981.

Publication: Zou Difan, ‘Burns Night in Beijing’, in China Reconstructs, Vol. XXX, No. 5, May 1981, pp. 40.

Sold on behalf of the Robert Burns World Federation.

羅伯特·彭斯世界聯盟藏品；1981年於首屆北京彭斯晚會由畫家贈予蘇格蘭代表團。

著述：Zou Difan：〈Burns Night in Beijing〉，《China Reconstructs》， XXX刊第五號，1981年5月，頁40。

Footnote

Advocating freedom and love, Robert Burns' reputation in China as ‘a great people’s poet’ reached its zenith in 1959 as a consequence of his perceived peasant birth aligned with the political ideological demand of the New Folksong Movement, and the celebration of the 200th anniversary of his birth.

It was not until January 25, 1981, that the first Burns Night was held in Beijing, the capital of China. The evening was well attended by Chinese scholars, poets, and artists, including the famous painter Huang Yongyu (Zou, 1981, p. 40). Scottish greetings were exchanged by telegrams from the Burns Federation in Kilmarnock, the Scotland-China Association and other Scottish organisations that evening (ibid, p. 41).

The evening culminated when Huang Yongyu 'read a poem he wrote in honour of Jean Armour, Burns’s wife, and presented his portrait of the Ayrshire bard in the traditional Chinese ink-and-wash style to Scottish people.’ (Li, 2024, p. 203)

Many of Robert Burns' Chinese readers and admirers would have made a pilgrimage to Robert Burns' birthplace in Scotland. Fellow writer and poet, Wang Zuoliang (1916-1995), mentions this painting in his article, ‘Reflections in the land of Robert Burns’ (Pengsi zhixiang chensilu), in Wang Zuoliang: Essays of Mind and Style (Wang Zuoliang Suibi: Xinshi Wencai), that he saw this painting on 3 July 1982, in the Burns Club with a Burns Museum, located in a town called ‘Ou Wen’ in Chinese, possibly Oban.

References:
1. Li, Suping, ‘If I have wander’d in those paths’: The reception of Robert Burns in China. PhD thesis, University of Glasgow, 2024.
2. Zou Difan, ‘Burns Night in Beijing’, in China Reconstructs, Vol. XXX, No. 5, May 1981, pp. 40-41.

Founded in 1885, the Robert Burns World Federation unites over 250 clubs and societies worldwide to promote and celebrate the life, works, and legacy of Robert Burns and Scotland’s cultural heritage. Through publications such as The Burns Chronicle, educational programs, and conservation efforts, it fosters global appreciation of Burns’s enduring influence.

Robert Burns (1759–1796), Scotland’s national bard, elevated the Scots language through lyrical masterpieces including Tam o’ Shanter, Auld Lang Syne, My Heart’s in the Highlands, and The Tree of Liberty. His poetry’s humanity, wit, and egalitarian spirit continue to inspire readers globally, securing his place as a timeless voice in world literature.

Huang Yongyu (1924–2023), a versatile Chinese painter and print artist from Hunan, taught at the China Academy of Fine Arts and endured five years in the countryside during the Cultural Revolution. Known for vivid paintings and woodcuts, he also wrote poetry and essays, designed a Mao Zedong memorial tapestry, and worked across teaching, publishing, film, and porcelain before settling in Hong Kong in 1989.

提倡自由與愛的羅伯特·彭斯在中國被譽為「偉大的人民詩人」，其聲譽在其誕辰200周年的1959年達到巔峰，這因其被認為出身於農民階層，符合新民歌運動的政治意識形態要求。

直到1981年1月25日，北京首次舉辦「彭斯之夜」。當晚中國學者、詩人與藝術家踴躍參加，包括著名畫家黃永玉（Zou: 1981, 頁40）。當晚，來自基爾馬諾克的彭斯聯盟、蘇格蘭-中國協會及其他蘇格蘭組織以電報互致問候（同上，頁41）。

晚會高潮是黃永玉「朗誦了為彭斯妻子珍·阿莫爾所作的詩，並以中國傳統水墨畫風格，向蘇格蘭人民獻上艾爾郡詩人的肖像」（Li: 2024, 頁203）。

許多羅伯特·彭斯（Robert Burns）的中文讀者和愛好者，曾前往蘇格蘭——彭斯的出生地朝聖。作家兼詩人王佐良（1916–1995）在其文章〈彭斯故土的沉思〉（《王佐良隨筆：心智文采》）中提到，他於1982年7月3日在一個名為「歐文城」的彭斯俱樂部與彭斯博物館看到了這幅畫作：「其中有黃永玉畫的彭斯像和黃苗子根據《我的心呀在高原》的詩意畫的水墨畫」。

參考文獻：

1. Li, Suping, ‘If I have wander’d in those paths’: The reception of Robert Burns in China. PhD thesis, University of Glasgow, 2024.
2. Zou Difan, ‘Burns Night in Beijing’, in China Reconstructs, Vol. XXX, No. 5, May 1981, pp. 40-41.

位於蘇格蘭的羅伯特·彭斯世界聯盟（Robert Burns World Federation）成立於1885年，聯合全球超過250個俱樂部與社團，旨在推廣與紀念彭斯的生平、作品及其文化遺產。透過出版《彭斯年刊》、教育計畫及文物保護，聯盟促進全球對彭斯持久影響的欣賞。

羅伯特·彭斯（1759–1796），蘇格蘭國家詩人，以《Tam o’ Shanter》《Auld Lang Syne》《My Heart’s in the Highlands》及《The Tree of Liberty》等抒情傑作提升了蘇格蘭語的藝術表達。他的詩作充滿人性、機智與平等精神，持續啟發全球讀者，使其成為世界文學中永恆的聲音。

黃永玉（1924–2023），湖南籍多才多藝的藝術家，曾在中國美術學院任教，文化大革命期間下鄉勞動五年。他以色彩鮮明的繪畫和木刻作品聞名，同時創作詩歌與散文，設計毛澤東紀念館的掛毯，並涉足教學、出版、電影及瓷器創作，1989年定居香港。