China, c. 15^th-16^th century. Ink and watercolors on very fine silk. Exquisitely painted with two cats in a landscape with leafy wild chrysanthemums and grasses, one mischievously grinning as it mounts the other from behind and places one of its paws on the other cat’s head, who shows a rather disgruntled expression. Their mostly white fur is superbly rendered, their bushy tails in black and reddish-brown, respectively.

Provenance: The personal collection of Robert Rousset. Thence by descent to Jean-Pierre Rousset. Robert Rousset was a former French radio officer in the merchant navy, who became one of the most prominent pioneers of the Chinese art market in Paris. As a child, his father, an insurance agent, would take him to Hôtel Drouot where he started to buy at a very young age. His true passion for Asian art started in the 1920s, when he was sent on a mission to Beijing after the decline of the Qing empire, along with Osvald Sirén, the famous Swedish Asian art historian and connoisseur. He then became one of the main contributors of Chinese antiques for the Compagnie de la Chine et des Indes, founded in Paris in the early 20th century by the Blazy brothers. After the 1929 stock market crash, he had the opportunity to acquire the company. With his sister Suzanne in charge of the porcelain, they developed the business and became one of the most important dealers in France, selling pieces to the greatest museums, including the Musée Guimet and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. With no children of his own, Robert took his nephew Jean-Pierre (1936-2021) under his wing and began grooming him to eventually take over the gallery. He loved to wander with Jean-Pierre through the gallery's exhibitions and storerooms, telling stories about each piece while cultivating his protégé’s eye. Jean-Pierre was also sent by his uncle to train with the great expert in Asian art and Robert’s close friend, Michel Beurdeley, whose numerous publications are still commonly referenced today. When Robert passed away, his private collection was divided between Jean-Pierre and his sister, Anne-Marie, whose part was sold with great success after her death in 2019.
Condition: Good condition with some wear, soiling, few tiny losses. The old mounting with small chips to edges, wear and traces of use.

Dimensions: Image size 32.6 x 25 cm, Size incl. mounting 43.7 x 49.5 cm

The ancient Chinese referred to cats as ‘li-nu’, which means a wild cat that has been tamed and domesticated. Since antiquity, cats have been employed by people in their familiar roles as pets and mouse catchers, but they sometimes have also served as models for artists, leaping into the world of art for all to see.

Throughout much of its history, China has been an agricultural-based country, planting and raising grains and animals. Although the cat does not traditionally figure as one of these animals, The Book of Rites, written at the time of Confucius nearly 3,000 years ago, mentions a sacrificial offering to the cat made by the emperor at the end of every year in gratitude to the cats that protect the fields of grain by catching the hordes of rats and mice. Although the ancient Chinese did not venerate the cat as a deity like the ancient Egyptians, the rat-catching cat protecting grains was the annual recipient of a special ceremony of gratitude and thus enjoyed a status that indeed was higher than other household fowl or domesticated animals.

It is commonly said that ‘dogs bring wealth’ and ‘cats bring position’. The character for ‘cat’ in Chinese is also a homonym for “octogenarian”, so it is an auspicious metaphor blessing for long life and therefore an appropriate subject in painting. Several painters of cats have been mentioned in art historical texts, from the Tang to the Qing dynasties and beyond.

Among all the Chinese emperors, Emperor Huizong of Song (1082-1135; reigned 1100-1125) is the most famous cat lover. There are multiple cat paintings that are thought to be original works by Huizong, including one which is considered to be an exceptionally detailed piece, handed down by the Mito branch of the Tokugawa clan.

Expert’s note: This work exemplifies a popular style of Ming painting developed from techniques established in the Song dynasty by imperial court artist Li Di (active 12^th century). The plump contours of the cats’ bodies are evoked with diffuse color washes, and their soft-textured fur is then meticulously rendered in painstaking brushwork.

Literature comparison:
Compare two related Ming-dynasty paintings of cats in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, one with similar wild chrysanthemums painted by the Xuande Emperor, image number K2A000421N000000000PAA, and the other by Shang Xi (fl. ca. 1430-1440), image number K2A002125N000000000PAA.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Christie’s London, 6 November 2018, lot 160
Price: GBP 25,000 or approx. EUR 34,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: Anonymous, Ming (1368-1644), Cats and Butterflies
Expert remark: Compare the closely related subject, style, and technique. Note the larger size (60.4 x 96.5 cm).



明代《貓戲圖》
中國，約十五至十六世紀，絹本水墨設色。精美繪有兩隻貓在花草叢中戲耍，一隻惡作劇地咧嘴笑著從後面騎上另一隻貓，一隻爪子放在另一隻貓的頭上，另一隻貓的表情頗為不悅。工筆細細描畫，濃密的尾巴分別是黑色和紅棕色。

來源：Robert Rousset私人收藏，直到Jean-Pierre Rousset繼承。Robert Rousset曾是商船的無線電通信官。他是法國巴黎的中國藝術市場最傑出的先驅之一。他的父親是一名保險代理人，會帶他去 Hôtel Drouot拍賣行，孩提時代他就開始購買藝術品。他對亞洲藝術的真正熱情始於 1920 年代，當時清朝沒落，他與瑞典著名亞洲藝術史學家和鑑賞家 Osvald Sirén 一起被派往北京。隨後，他成為二十世紀初由 Blazy 兄弟在巴黎創立的 Compagnie de la Chine et des Indes 旗下中國古董的主要合作者之一。1929 年股市崩盤後，他有機會收購了這家公司。在他負責瓷器的妹妹 Suzanne的帶領下，他們發展了這項業務，並成為法國最重要的經銷商之一，向最大的博物館，包括吉美博物館和大都會藝術博物館，出售古董。由於沒有自己的孩子，Robert 把他的侄子Jean-Pierre置於其翼下，並培養他藝廊。他喜歡和 Jean-Pierre 一起逛藝廊和儲藏室，講述每件作品的故事，同時培養他的眼光。Jean-Pierre 還被他的叔叔派去師從亞洲藝術專家Michel Beurdeley，他也是Robert 的密友，他的眾多著作至今仍被廣泛引用。Robert去世後，他的私人收藏由Jean-Pierre和他的妹妹Anne-Marie平分，Anne-Marie的部分藏品在她於 2019年 年去世後成功售賣。
品相：狀況良好，有一些磨損、汙漬，微小缺損。木框邊緣有磕損、磨損和使用痕跡。

尺寸：畫面32.6 x 25 釐米，總43.7 x 49.5 釐米

專家注釋：這幅作品體現了明代畫風格，由宮廷畫家李迪（活躍於十二世紀）在宋代建立的筆法發展而來。貓身體豐滿，輪廓清晰，貓毛根根清晰。

文獻比較：
比較兩件相近的明代《貓戲圖》，收藏於臺北故宮博物院，一件類似宣德皇帝所繪野菊花，編號K2A000421N000000000PAA，另一件商喜所作(約1430-1440)，編號K2A002125N000000000PAA。

拍賣結果比較：
形制：相近
拍賣：倫敦佳士得，2018年11月6日，lot 160
價格：GBP 25,000（相當於今日EUR 34,000）
描述：明佚名《耄耋圖》
專家評論：比較非常相近的主題、風格和繪畫技巧。請注意尺寸較大 (60.4 x 96.5 厘米)。