WANG WU (CHINESE, 1632-1690)
ALBUM OF THIRTEEN LEAVES, CA. 1687-1688AD
£47,600
Auction: 08 November 2024 from 10:00 GMT
Description
王武 紙本設色 花石蟲鳥圖 水墨設色紙本 含題記 冊頁十三幀
1 石榴圖
款識: 白石翁寫生，全得戴靜菴家法。而神理過之餘，生平所是不少於拙。▢祖亭水墨石榴為第一，不徙墨痕，如昨兼之紙，素潔白，尤不易得也
鈐印: 忘庵
2 芍藥圖
款識: 夏駕湖上即景，寫此不覺。覺滿腔塵土一時頓盡
鈐印: 王武私印、忘庵
3 花鳥圖
款識: 仿包山徵君筆意，而未得其遒媚之▢
鈐印: 王武私印、忘庵
4 花石圖
款識: 曉坐盧亭中樹深，靜觀物理任浮沉。飛蟲挼網蜘蛛在，側目灒鱗翡翠心。一藏文章皆剩義，▢弦山水芨清音，最難消是閑邊福，▢地▢來直到今
鈐印: 忘庵、武、勤中
5 虞美人圖
款識: 虞美人花一名，江東春自昔名花，並美人琵琶。青塚草如新，須知垓下千行淚，洒作江東一片春
鈐印: 忘庵
6 蓺菊圖
款識: 南園碩叟蓺菊數十種，大都不出婁東諸名品，唯赤金球光耀奪目，叟誇於予因貌其似以紀之。丁卯九月病初起
鈐印: 忘庵
7 花鳥圖
款識: 殘月橫窗竹影齊，一巵滿引醉如潺。風吹角屋鵂鶹過，镫暗溪頭絡緯啼。清夜殺機聞補鼠，哀年餘氣感哆鷄。荒鐘歷歷驚魘夢，況有城隅塞馬嘶
鈐印: 忘庵、武、勤中、雪巔道人
8《歲寒別友》
款識: 歲寒別友。羅漢松、天竹、蠟梅
鈐印: 忘庵
9 蘭花圖
款識: 趙松雪画蘭法，唯文待詔得之。如周公▢莗▢蘴運腕，便多匠氣至陳。古白自閥門戶縱橫放誕，如武士攔入詩酒社，衣冠揖讓之，風渺不可問
鈐印: 王武私印
10 萱草圖
款識: 習靜如年日，幽懷遡上皇。林深鳥語雜，花▢蜨情怔
鈐印: 忘庵
11 水仙圖
款識: 長松細雨潤青莎，竹下頹墻補蒔蘿。茶稅新增因入貢，畫逋▢責似催科。偶然尋藥登陡倦，除卻揮豪磕睡多，老病故人堪對炤，匣中塵鏡底須磨
鈐印: 王勤中、雪巔道人
12 水仙圖
款識: 往見趙子固畫水𠏡，▢長二丈餘，千蔞萬葉俯仰盡，▢自題云三年乃成，則知古人用意如此近，為真㝎相公收藏而題。▢少異豈餘所見另為一本▢
鈐印: 王武私印、忘庵
13 題記
款識: 匡山先生下交於余二十有一載，未嘗以點墨就正，而先生志不以此事相▢迫。謂餘衣食於筆墨未遑作世情，酬應益知我▢也。丁卯春暮先生携素冊過草堂，屬寫花草數種，且曰暇時一為之，毋急也。不意初夏臥病，纏綿數月。每念故人連訣一堂，歌呼快飲為不易得兹，喜枉駕▢竟夕別去，因紀之。戊辰六月兄正。小弟王武
鈐印: 雪巔道人、 王勤中、忘庵
twelve ink and watercolour on paper depicting flowers, rocks, birds and insects, all sealed, one leaf of painting dated to the year of Ding Mao, corresponding to 1687AD; one ink calligraphy of an epigraph, dated to the year of Wu Chen, corresponding to 1688AD, signed and sealed of the artist
Dimensions
26.8cm x 40.7cm each leaf
Provenance
The Estate of Sir John and Lady Clare Keswick at Portrack House, Dumfriesshire.
Sir John Henry Keswick, KCMG (1906–1982) was an influential Scottish businessman in China and Hong Kong. He was the tai-pan of Jardine, Matheson & Co., the leading British trading firm in the Far East, and had established friendships with many Chinese politicians, including Zhou Enlai, Premier of the People's Republic of China, and Madame Soong Ching-ling, wife of Sun Yat-sen during his stay in China. He was also a representative of the Special Operations Executive, a British intelligence service during the Second World War. Sir John spoke fluent Chinese. He was a Chinese art collector, particularly contemporary paintings.
He married Clare Mary Alice Cynthia Catherine Celia Elwes (1905–1998) in 1940 and had a child Margaret Keswick (1941–1995) who founded Maggie's Centres for those suffering from cancer.
蘇格蘭鄧弗里斯郡，波特拉克莊園宅邸，約翰·凱瑟克爵士及克萊爾·凱瑟克女爵舊藏。
約翰·亨利·凱瑟克爵士（1906-1982）是一名在中國及香港頗具影響力的蘇格蘭商人，曾任遠東最大英資財團怡和洋行大班一職。在中國期間與周恩來總理和孫中山夫人宋慶齡有過接觸。1940年，他與克萊爾·瑪麗·愛麗絲·辛西婭·凱瑟琳·西莉亞·艾爾維斯（1905-1998）結婚，育有一女瑪格麗特·凱瑟克（1941-1995），後者創立了英國著名的慈善機構銘琪癌症關顧中心。
Footnote
Wang Wu, from Suzhou, Jiangsu. His courtesy name is Qinzhong, late pen name Wang An, also known as Xuedian Daoren, Rushi Weng, and Bu Shan. Wang was a member of an important Ming dynasty literati family, the sixth-generation descendent of Wang Ao (1450-1524). Wang was a notable connoisseur and poet. His plum, narcissus, and rock paintings employ standard literati subject matter, excelled in mogu technique, the plants and rock symbolising the harmony of nature and the tenacious character of the scholar-official.
Wang suffered from illnesses in his old age, which was mentioned in one of the paintings and the epigraph of this lot, as they were created in his later years. They serve as testimonies of his perseverance in creative activities. A calligraphy titled ‘Fourth Poem Composed When In Sick' is in the HSC Art Museum: https://www.hcsartmuseum.com/projects/13826/ The sentiment and calligraphy are comparable to the epigraph of this lot.
Also compare to an album of ten ‘floral’ paintings, the seventh leaf also dated to the year of Ding Mao, 1687AD, previously in the collection of the Qing Court, now in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, museum numbers Gu Hua 故畫117700001 to 故畫1177000010. Another album of twelve leaves by Wang Wu, depicting flowers, rock, birds and insects, first sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 27 May 2013, lot 880, then sold at Poly Beijing, 7 Dec 2015, lot 16041.
Note: The seals that appeared in this lot have been compared to Wang Wu's listing in Contag, V. and Wang, C.C. ed, 1966, Seals of Chinese Painters and Collectors of the Ming and Ch'ing Periods, Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press, pp. 33-36. For details, please see the condition report.
王武（1631-1690），江蘇長洲人。字勤中，晚號忘庵，自稱雪顛道人、如是翁、不山。王鏊（1450-1524）六世孫。初以諸生入太學，風流倜儻，不屑科舉。自讀書賦詩外，若投壺蹴踘、彈碁馬射，技擊之術，與藝花種樹、豢魚籠禽之方，無不通究。 家富收藏，又精於鑑賞，於宋元明諸家名蹟，往往心摹手追，務得其遺法。所畫花鳥動物，皆具足生意。名高當代，與惲壽平齊名。
王武晩歲病屢發，不復多作畫。故人有貧乏者，偶爾强之使作，王武欣然執筆曰：「願以佐吾子晨夕需！」（我願助您日用所需）族中有老父之孫女缺少嫁妝，王武復力疾為作數幅畫作以換得嫁妝。何創時書法藝術基金會藏有王武《行書病中雜詠之四》，其文韻、情懷及書法可與本品題記相比較，見何創時書法藝術基金會雲端博物館：https://www.hcsartmuseum.com/projects/13826/
清宮舊藏王武畫花卉圖一冊十幀，第七開落康熙丁卯年款，據此推測，此幀的成畫年代當亦去之不遠。本品第六幀亦落「丁卯九月」年款，題記再落戊辰年款，僅相去一年。故此推敲本品成畫年代與清宮舊藏花卉圖亦去不遠。參臺北故宮博物館，館藏號「故畫117700001」至「故畫1177000010」。另參王武繪花石蟲鳥圖冊頁十二開，先售於紐約佳士得，2013年5月27日，拍品880，後售於北京保利，2015年12月7日，拍品16041。
註：本品所見鈐印已與孔達、王季遷編：《明清畫家印鑑》，香港：香港大學出版社，頁33-36所列王武鈐印及落款相校對，詳情請參品相報告。