Mingqiu Sun Sold at Auction Prices

Sun Mingqiu (1823-) Bapo

Bapo Four mounted scrolls for framing, one scroll signed Zizhen Sun Mingqiu, with two seals Mingqiu and Zizhen. 48 x 11 3/4in (121.9 x 30cm) each Footnotes 孫鳴球 錦灰堆 設色紙本 鏡片四幅 Bapo 八破 (literally 'eight-brokens') or jinhuidui 錦灰堆 (literally 'a pile of brocade and ashes') is a fascinating genre of Chinese painting that emerged in the late Qing and was popular in the early 20th century. Using trompe-l'oeil techniques, artists carefully created seemingly random collages of two dimensional images, including fragments of paintings, book pages, calligraphic rubbings, letters and ephemeral scraps. The subject matter of these paintings bear a humble countenance--they are folded and torn, burnt or scarred. However a closer examination of the individual elements reveals the artist's deep understanding of the traditions of calligraphy and painting. In this set of four scrolls, Sun Mingqiu mimics paintings by Wang Hui (1632-1717) and Tang Yin (1470-1523), calligraphy by Liu Yong (1719-1804) and Zheng Xie (1693-1765), and seals carved by Yao Yuanzhi (1773-1852), among others, while at the same time, skillfully capturing the texture and appearance of silk brocades, gold-fleck paper and ink rubbings. A similar set of four bapo paintings also by Sun Mingqiu is in the collection of the Museum für Asiatische Kunst, Berlin. Currently, The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston is exploring this compelling genre in China's 8 Brokens: Puzzles of the Treasured Past, which will be on view until October 29, 2017. A further exploration of the themes here will be explored in a symposium at the MFA on October 15th. See also: Nancy Berliner, "The 'Eight Brokens', Chinese Trompe-l'oeil Painting", Orientations February 1992, pp. 61-66 Nancy Berliner, "Questions of Authorship in 'Bapo': Trompe l'oeil in Twentieth-century Shanghai," Apollo March 1998, pp. 17-22