Lot 456: ca 1807 QING DYNASTY, GAI QI LADY SCROLL PAINTING

Gai Qi (改琦; 1774-1829), Qing Dynasty Chinese traditional painting, ink and color on paper laid to silk, signed and dated, in the year of Jiaqing Emperor Reign Period (1796-1820), in the seventh month of Dingmao year (ca. 1807) Beautiful hanging scroll Ink painting of two females standing amidst curling waves, by Gai Qi (1774-1829). Gai Qi is known for his use of the Bai-Miao brush technique which produces immaculate linework. Extensive contouring lines are applied by the traditional Lang-Hao brush creating a flowing effect. The females stand in a pensive posture with the young girl taking refuge at her elder’s side. Long diaphanous robes flow over their bodies and disappear into the waves below. Cursive-script characters are expertly painted in the top right corner followed by a single red seal.

Scroll Height: 89 3/4" Width: 23 1/4" Painting Height: 43 3/4" Width: 11 7/8"

ink, watercolor, paper

Qing Dynasty

Natural imperfection on the medium (paper or silk), regardless from any major damages; includes light blooms, discoloration and minor fading. Consider normal due to the ages. All lots are sold as is and where is. Lauren Galleries provides condition reports upon request to aide in your bidding decision. No statement regarding age, condition, kind, value, or quality of a lot, whether made orally at the auction or at any other time, or in writing in this catalog or elsewhere, shall be construed to be an express or implied warranty, representation, or assumption of liability. All sales are final, Lauren Galleries does not give refunds based on condition. Lauren Galleries does not perform any shipping or packing services. We do have a list of suggested shippers who gladly provide quotes prior to your bidding. Please visit our webpage for a list of recommended shippers.

From the heirloom collections of Wu Guozhen (吳國楨; October 21, 1903-June 6, 1984) was a Chinese political figure and historian, government official who served as mayor of Hankow (1932-1938), mayor of Chung-king (1939-1941), political vice minister of foreign affairs (1943-45), mayor of Shanghai (1946-1948), and governor of Taiwan (1950-1952) and the former Chairman of Taiwan Provincial Government. He resigned in 1953 and went to the United States, charging that Taiwan was becoming a police state.
K.C. Wu lived in the United States where he served as professor of Chinese history at Armstrong Atlantic State University in Savannah, Chatham County, Georgia. During his time in the United States, he wrote various works, including a detailed analysis on Chinese culture in the context of mythology and early history in his book The Chinese Heritage.
Wu is remembered mainly for his vital role in the formation of a liberal modern Taiwan and his anti-communist beliefs typical of a member of Kuomintang, but he is also remembered for his brave anti-Kuomintang rhetoric and turbulent disagreements with the more Russian-styled second President of Taiwan.

The Collections of Wu Guozhen (吳國楨) presented and offered up to auctions
ON DAY-1: from Lot-97 through Lot-127, continued from Lot-219 through Lot-255.
ON DAY-2: from Lot-354 through Lot-377, continued from Lot-451 through Lot-480.

Gai Qi (改琦; 1774-1829), courtesy name Bowen 伯蕰, pseudonym name Qiliang 七郎 and Yuhu Waishi 玉壶外史, was a poet and painter born in western China during the Qing dynasty. As an artist, he was active in Shanghai. In painting his works mainly concerned plants, beauty, and figures. However he also did numerous landscapes. In poetry he preferred the rhyming ci form and added such poems to his paintings. His social circle included prominent literati as well as artists. He organized both a literary society and a Buddhist lay society. His work often used a delicate baimiao (outline) style, which can be clearly see in his illustrations for Dream of the Red Chamber. The illustrations are chiefly portraits of the main characters in the novel. Numerous poets, including the renowned woman poet Zhou Qi, wrote poems to accompany the illustrations. The scholar Wang Qisun 王岂孙 commissioned Gai Qi to paint an album of famous Chinese women, both historical and legendary. Wang's second wife, Cao Zhenxiu wrote poems about the women and did the calligraphy in the album. Gai took as a student the talented woman painter and poet Qian Shoupu 錢守璞 (ca. 1801-1869). He was associated with the painter Fei Danxu in what has been called the "Gai Fei" school. Gai's grandson continued the tradition of the Gai Fei school, along with descendants of Fei Danxiu. He is perhaps best known today for the Hongloumeng tiyong, a book of portraits of characters in Dream of the Red Chamber accompanied by poems about the characters. The book was based on paintings done by Gai Qi, but was not published until 1884, long after its death. The book is still in print.