China. Ink and color on silk. Depicting the arrival of deities to the peach festival with Xiwangmu on the top right riding a horned dragon, to her right, Yudi on a throne carried by his attendants, both emerging from clouds, with other attendants and spectators carrying oversized peaches, on the lower left depicting the eight immortals, some arriving by boat and horse, and in the right corner Shoulao and his attendants in conversation while walking towards a bridge.

Inscriptions: Top right one seal ‘Qianlong yulan zhibao’. Center right ‘Longmian jushi, Li Gonglin’ and two seals.

Provenance: From the private collection of Michael B. Weisbrod, New York, USA. Michael B. Weisbrod is a noted scholar of Chinese art, who has published extensively on the subject over a time span of more than 50 years. In 1972, Michael joined his father Dr. Gerald Weisbrod’s Asian art gallery in Toronto, Canada. The father-and-son team opened their New York location on Madison Avenue in 1977, and during the next 45 years the gallery held a significant number of exhibitions, selling to museums and private collectors across the globe, eventually adding further locations in Shanghai and Hong Kong.
Condition: Commensurate with age, some losses, creasing, tears, one handle missing, foxing, and soiling. Abrasions and wear.

Dimensions: Image size 150 x 192 cm, Size incl. mounting 160.7 x 225 cm

With a brocade frame and a European brass handle, the latter dating to the first half of the 20^th century or earlier.

Expert’s note: The present lot is influenced by the artwork of the Northern Song dynasty painter Li Gonglin (active 1049-1106). It is known that during the reign of Emperor Qianlong (1736-1795) masters from the Palace Painting Academy were commissioned to copy a significant number of ancient works from the Imperial palace collection, predominantly for conservatory purposes, but also for a number of other reasons. This could explain why a ‘Qianlong yulan zhibao’ seal mark can be found on the top right corner of the artwork.

The Queen Mother of the West, or Xiwangmu, is one of the most important goddesses of the traditional Chinese pantheon. According to legend, she dwelt in the Kunlun Mountains, located south of the Takla Makan desert in western China, where she was visited by a number of emperors and Daoist masters seeking immortality. Her most famous encounter reportedly occurred in 110 BC, when she journeyed to the court of Emperor Wu of the Han dynasty (reigned 141-87 BC) and presented him with several magical peaches, which ripen only once every three thousand years. Said to confer immortality when eaten, these special peaches became the most common attribute of the Queen Mother. According to early sources, the peaches of immortality grow not only in the mountain home of the goddess but also on certain mythological islands in the ocean east of China, where other gods and immortals reside.



清代《群仙拱壽圖》
中國。絹本水墨設色。群仙來到爲慶祝西王母壽誕蟠桃盛會。圖中可見西王母騎著虯龍，很多侍從手中拿著仙桃，還可看到八仙過海場景，很多仙人翹首觀望，並有壽老與其隨從往一座橋走去。人物動作神態十分寫實自然，面部表情生動，將各人不同特徵表露無疑。

款識：乾隆御覽之寶，龍眠居士李公麟製

來源：美國紐約Michael B. Weisbrod私人收藏。Michael B. Weisbrod是一位著名的中國藝術學者，他在 50 多年的時間裡就該主題發表了大量著作。 1972 年，Michael加入了他父親 Gerald Weisbrod 博士在加拿大多倫多的亞洲藝術藝廊。 這對父子團隊於 1977 年在麥迪遜大道開設了他們的紐約分館，在接下來的 45 年裡，藝廊舉辦了大量展覽，向全球的博物館和私人收藏家出售作品，最終還在上海和香港開辦分店。
品相：有一些缺損、摺痕、撕裂、褐變、污漬，有磨損。缺一柄。

尺寸：畫面150 x 192 厘米，總160.7 x 225 厘米

織錦框架和歐洲黃銅手柄，後者可以追溯到20世紀上半葉或更早。

專家注釋：此拍品受北宋畫家李公麟（1049-1106 年）的風格影響。眾所周知，在乾隆年間（1736-1795），宮廷畫院的畫師們被委託從皇宮收藏中復制大量古代作品，主要用於保存古代名作的目的，但也有其他一些原因 。這可以解釋為什麼在藝術品的右上角可以找到“乾隆御覽之寶”的印。