Lot 623
Bird Eating Berries
PU Hsin-yu (Taiwanese, 1896 - 1963)
Ink and colour on silk, framed
D: 28 cm
Estimate
TWD 800,000-1,200,000
HKD 213,000-319,000
USD 27,400-41,100
CNY 188,000-282,000
Sold Price
TWD 900,000
HKD 244,565
USD 31,579
CNY 205,950
Signature
Signed Hsin-Yu in Chinese
With one seal of the artist
With one seal of the artist
PROVENANCE:
Christie's Hong Kong, 24 October, 1993, Lot 199
Christie's Hong Kong, 24 October, 1993, Lot 199
+ OVERVIEW
Pu Hsin-Yu, aka Pu Ru, was the great grandson of Emperor Daoguang, grandson of Prince Gong, and son of Zaiyng of the Qing dynasty. His family name was Aisin Gioro and named himself Hsin-Yu. He later chose Pu as family name, sobriquet Hermit of the West Mountain. He received imperial education with heavy attention on literature and hunting on horseback. A seal "Grandson of the Last King (Jiu Huang Sun)" was always used due to his royal background. Pu Hsin-Yu settled in Taiwan since 1949 and was named as one of the three greatest masters along with Zhang Daqian and Huang Chun-Pi. His students from Hanyu Tang were numerous. Pu's artistic career began from his hermit period at the Ma'an Mountain, South West of Beijing. He took reference to Imperial collections of ancient scrolls and painted after strolls at the mountains. Pu excelled in multiple genres including landscape, figures, flower-and- birds, animals and mystical beings. His landscape and gongbi paintings possess an ancient scholarly and elegant style.
Regardless of structure, colour and forms, gongbi paintings of Pu Hsin-Yu are steeped in a rich history and literary background. Taiwan fascinated Pu as he discovered its cultures. After class, he would take pleasure to observe daily objects, vegetables, flowers and birds and to paint them. This work is meticulously painted in gongbi of the Song dynasty. Life drawings were emphasized with careful observations, so that colours and lines could be applied in accurate detail. The black-naped oriole was painted diligently with fine lines. Light ink was applied to depict feathers of its folded wings, followed by darker ink on the eyespot and ochre on the eye for contrast. Yellow was used on the majority of the body with various consistency to depict various gradients. The bird stands firmly on a new branch as it holds a berry firmly on its beak. Naturally curved leaf echoes vividly with the Zhuan brushwork on the branches. The green leaves sway gently along the breeze of spring, as a stout bird stands proudly on a branch. Pu's gongbi brushwork created a lively scene of spring, with a hint of the Tang style.
Regardless of structure, colour and forms, gongbi paintings of Pu Hsin-Yu are steeped in a rich history and literary background. Taiwan fascinated Pu as he discovered its cultures. After class, he would take pleasure to observe daily objects, vegetables, flowers and birds and to paint them. This work is meticulously painted in gongbi of the Song dynasty. Life drawings were emphasized with careful observations, so that colours and lines could be applied in accurate detail. The black-naped oriole was painted diligently with fine lines. Light ink was applied to depict feathers of its folded wings, followed by darker ink on the eyespot and ochre on the eye for contrast. Yellow was used on the majority of the body with various consistency to depict various gradients. The bird stands firmly on a new branch as it holds a berry firmly on its beak. Naturally curved leaf echoes vividly with the Zhuan brushwork on the branches. The green leaves sway gently along the breeze of spring, as a stout bird stands proudly on a branch. Pu's gongbi brushwork created a lively scene of spring, with a hint of the Tang style.
Related Info
Refined Brushwork: Fine Chinese Paintings and Works of Art
Ravenel Autumn Auction 2020
Saturday, December 5, 2020, 2:00pm