11th Apr, 2025 11:00
TWO-DAY AUCTION: Fine Asian Art, Buddhism and Hinduism
318
A SILK PAINTING OF A WHITE EAGLE, AFTER EMPEROR HUIZONG OF SONG, QING DYNASTY
Sold for €1,690
including Buyer's Premium
China, 1644-1912. Ink, watercolors, and gouache on silk, within a silk brocade frame. Finely painted with a white eagle standing atop an openwork stool with a padded cushion, its feet tied to a blue ribbon suspending a red tassel and a double-gourd bead, flanked to its left are leafy branches issuing red blossoms. The eagle’s head turned backwards and neatly painted with white plumage and a yellow eye. The upper section with an Imperial red seal mark at the center.
Inscriptions: Top center, ‘Xuanhe yubi zhi bao’ (‘Treasure in the Imperial Hand of the Xuanhe Emperor [Huizong]’).
Provenance: From the private collection of a European diplomat who was stationed in China from 1932-1940. The back with an old label from Schleiper & Fils, Brussels, Belgium. The collector assembled a fine and diverse collection of Chinese porcelains and works of art, including early Han period pieces, porcelains from the Republic period, and fine paintings.
Condition: Very good condition with minor old wear, one section of the silk to the upper right renewed, foxing and browning. The wood frame with minor wear and few tiny nicks.
Dimensions: Image size: 105 x 54 cm; size including frame: 121 x 62.9 cm
Framed behind glass. (2)
Emperor Huizong of Song (1082-1135), personal name Zhao Ji, was the eighth emperor of the Song dynasty of China and the penultimate emperor of the Northern Song dynasty. He was also a very well-known painter, poet and calligrapher. One of the Emperor's last era name was Xuanhe. The Emperor took huge efforts to search for art masters. He established the Hanlin Huayuan (‘Hanlin imperial painting house’) where top painters around China shared their best works. The primary subjects of his paintings are birds and flowers.
Literature comparison:
Compare a related silk painting of a white eagle, attributed to Emperor Huizong, dated to the Northern Song dynasty, in the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, accession number 3781-D3. This is the work that most likely served as the inspiration for the present lot.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Poly Auctions, Beijing, 26 April 2015, lot 5196
Price: CNY 43,700 or approx. EUR 6,700 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A scroll painting of a white eagle, signed Song Huizong
Expert remark: Compare the related subject and manner of painting. Note the size (137 x 50 cm).
China, 1644-1912. Ink, watercolors, and gouache on silk, within a silk brocade frame. Finely painted with a white eagle standing atop an openwork stool with a padded cushion, its feet tied to a blue ribbon suspending a red tassel and a double-gourd bead, flanked to its left are leafy branches issuing red blossoms. The eagle’s head turned backwards and neatly painted with white plumage and a yellow eye. The upper section with an Imperial red seal mark at the center.
Inscriptions: Top center, ‘Xuanhe yubi zhi bao’ (‘Treasure in the Imperial Hand of the Xuanhe Emperor [Huizong]’).
Provenance: From the private collection of a European diplomat who was stationed in China from 1932-1940. The back with an old label from Schleiper & Fils, Brussels, Belgium. The collector assembled a fine and diverse collection of Chinese porcelains and works of art, including early Han period pieces, porcelains from the Republic period, and fine paintings.
Condition: Very good condition with minor old wear, one section of the silk to the upper right renewed, foxing and browning. The wood frame with minor wear and few tiny nicks.
Dimensions: Image size: 105 x 54 cm; size including frame: 121 x 62.9 cm
Framed behind glass. (2)
Emperor Huizong of Song (1082-1135), personal name Zhao Ji, was the eighth emperor of the Song dynasty of China and the penultimate emperor of the Northern Song dynasty. He was also a very well-known painter, poet and calligrapher. One of the Emperor's last era name was Xuanhe. The Emperor took huge efforts to search for art masters. He established the Hanlin Huayuan (‘Hanlin imperial painting house’) where top painters around China shared their best works. The primary subjects of his paintings are birds and flowers.
Literature comparison:
Compare a related silk painting of a white eagle, attributed to Emperor Huizong, dated to the Northern Song dynasty, in the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, accession number 3781-D3. This is the work that most likely served as the inspiration for the present lot.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Poly Auctions, Beijing, 26 April 2015, lot 5196
Price: CNY 43,700 or approx. EUR 6,700 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A scroll painting of a white eagle, signed Song Huizong
Expert remark: Compare the related subject and manner of painting. Note the size (137 x 50 cm).
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