Ink and watercolor on paper, hanging scroll, featuring pine tree and craggy rock, signed and attr. Wu Hufan (Chinese, 1894-1968), inscribed with 2 artist seals, 84 x 60 cm. Wu Hufan was a Chinese painter and art connoisseur known for his depictions of bamboo and landscapes. Using elegant brushwork and soft tones, Wu rendered the textures of both mountains and trees. His work was firmly rooted in tradition, characterized by clearly defined foregrounds, middle grounds, and distances. Born in 1894 in Suzhou, China, Wu was the grandson of calligrapher and painter Wu Dacheng. From a young age, he was able to study the works of masters from the Qing dynasty. Following the establishment of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, Wu taught at the Shanghai Institute of Chinese Painting. He went on to become one of the city’s most important connoisseurs, writing extensively about the works in his collection, many of which he inherited from his grandfather. During the mid-1960s, the artist suffered a number of crippling physical ailments which left him hospitalized. He committed suicide while in hospice in 1968 in Shanghai, China. Today, Wu’s works are held in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the National Palace Museum in Taipei, and the Shanghai Museum of Art, among others.

All authorship of items in this catalog are described according to the following terms:

By [Artist Name] : In our opinion, the work is by the artist.

Attributed to [Artist Name] : In our opinion, the work may be ascribed to the artist on the basis of style, but there may be some question as to actual authorship.

In the manner of [Artist Name] : In our opinion, the work was executed by an unknown hand, but was designed deliberately to emulate the style of the artist.

After [Artist Name] : In our opinion, the work was executed by an unknown hand, but is a deliberate copy of a known work by the artist.

Circle of [Artist Name] : In our opinion, a work of the period of the artist showing his influence, closely associated with the artist but not necessarily his pupil.

Follower of [Artist Name]: In our opinion, a work by a pupil or a follower of the artist (not necessarily a pupil).

American, 19th century : In our opinion, this work was executed by an unknown hand, and can only be identified by origin (i.e., region, period).

Bears signature : In our opinion, the signature on the artwork may be spurious.
Apocryphal : Of doubtful authenticity.