A 'MORNING GLORY'PAINTING BY QI BAISHI, DATED 1951

Ink and color on paper, mounted to a paper scroll with fabric borders
China, dated 1951

Only one other 'Morning Glories'painting by Qi Baishi, dating to the year 1951 and very similar to the present artwork, was ever on the market and it fetched 360.000 Euros at Poly Auctions in Beijing. Flower paintings from Qi Baishi's late period are amongst the most expensive in the artist's oeuvre as he had achieved the utmost expressiveness and freedom in the brushstrokes by then, according to discerned scholars and collectors.

The painting bears the artist signature and seal at the right margin. The calligraphy reads 'The old Baishi painted at the age of 87'and the artist seal also reads 'The old Baishi'. In the lower left corner is the seal for the collection of paintings and calligraphy of Xinxi. The reverse reveals the work's title (in Chinese) 'Morning Glories by Qi Baishi'and two additional seals.

This painting shows a dense arrangement of light grey to black leaves and vividly painted branches and stems from which morning glory buds and blossoms are growing. The pinkish red of the blossoms stands out prominently against the monochrome leafage.

Wild morning glories have been traced back to ancient China where they were used for medicinal and ceremonial purposes. The Chinese folklore of this flower symbolizes that lovers may only meet on one special day out of the year. The story behind this is that two young people fell deeply in love neglecting all of their responsibilities. As more and more chores were ignored the heavens started to rumble with the gods dissatisfaction. So, they decreed that the lovers could meet just one day out of the year. Morning glories also mean unrequited love.

Qi Baishi (1864 - 1957)
Qi Baishi was one of the most famous painters of the 20th century and a proprietor of modernist currents. He was born son of a farmer in 1864, Xiangtan, Hunan province. He died 1957 in Beijing. He began painting at the age of 14. He began a tour of China's famous landscapes in 1904, where he attained fame. He settled in Beijing in 1917. He was voted to the national congress of the people in 1953 and he was the first president of the Chinese association of artists. Three years earlier he was awarded the International Peace Price for 1950, by the World Peace Council. Qi was a frontrunner of modernist painting and developed an important style of so-called Chinese scholarly painting, in his own expressive style.

Shape: Rectangular vertical shape
Dimensions: 102 x 34 cm (painting size), 186 x 46 cm (mounting)
Condition: The painting is in good condition. Slight traces of age and wear, in the form of creases and moldy spots, are discernible
Provenance: Austrian private collection, acquired at Christie's New York

Literature comparison: Poly International Auction, IN COMMEMORATION OF MADAM GUO XIUYI'S 100TH BIRTHDAY - A RARE COLLECTION OF MODERN CHINESE PAINTINGS AND CALLIGRAPHY, 03 Dec 2010, Beijing, lot 2707. (for a comparable, slightly smaller, Morning Glory painting by Qi Baishi)

1951年齊白石《牽牛花》
紙本水墨設色，錦緞裝裱
中國，1951

齊白石創作的另一幅可追溯到1951年的《牽牛花》與這件作品非常相似，曾在市場上銷售過，並在北京保利拍賣會拍出360,000歐元高價。根據有識之士和收藏家的看法，齊白石晚年的花卉畫作是這位藝術家作品中價格最為昂貴的，因為那時他已經在筆墨上獲得極大成就。

這幅畫在右邊留有藝術家的落款“白石老人八十七歲時制â€和印章“白石翁â€。畫面左下角可見藏家鈴印“信琋藏書畫印â€。卷軸上書“牽牛花 齊白石â€及兩個印章。

這幅畫以大寫意紅花墨葉畫法，淡墨濃墨交替畫葉子，枝條和莖纏繞，花蕾和花朵茁壯生長。工筆粉紅色的花朵更加襯托出寫意的葉子。。

野生牽牛花可以追溯到中國古代，用於醫藥和禮儀用途。根據中國民間傳說牽牛花象徵著愛人衹能在特定一天遇到一生中的另一半。這背後的故事是兩個相戀的年輕人中的一個忽視了他們的所有責任。越來越多的責任被忽視，眾神開始不滿。所以，他們下令說愛人只能在一年之內見面。牽牛花也意味著不求回報的愛情。

立軸
尺寸：102 x 34 cm (畫面), 186 x 46 cm (含裝裱)
品相良好，有輕微的年代和磨損痕跡，有些摺痕和霉斑。
奧地利私人收藏，來自紐約佳士得。

文獻參考：保利拍賣《郭秀儀誕辰一百周年珍藏書畫》，2010年12月3日，北京，2707號拍品（一件稍小的齊白石《牽牛花》）