Lot 8092: Xiang Shengmo (1597-1658) Chinese Art from the Scholar's Studio

Crows in Wintery trees, 1645 Hanging scroll, ink on paper, inscribed by the artist and dated yiyou (1645) and signed Xiang Shengmo followed by the artist's seal reading Kongzhang. 28 1/4 x 10 5/8in (71.7 x 27cm)

71.7 x 27cm

: "Carved by Nature, Untamed Traditions in Chinese Decorative Art" Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, MA. July 27, 2004-January 30, 2005.

: Acquired in Tokyo, late 1950's

項聖謨 寒林羣鴉 水墨紙本 立軸 1645年作 Xiang Shengmo was born in what is now Jiaxing, Zhejiang province to a prominent literati family of vast wealth. His grandfather, Xiang Yuanbian (1525-1590), was a noted collector and The National Palace Museum, Taipei, devoted a 2009 exhibition to the family's collection, much of which found its way into the Qing Imperial Collection after having been been seized by the Qing army during the fall of the Ming dynasty. Xiang Shengmo's painting is noted for its crisp brushwork and connection to the style of Wen Zhengming (1470–1559).