Ximen Qing's Official and Trusted Career, a scene from The Plum in the Golden Vase (Jin Ping Mei) Ink and colour on silk, glazed and framed with title slip. 31.7cm (12 1/2in) wide x 39.4cm (15 1/2in) long.
傳顧見龍（1606-1687年後） 西門慶官作生涯圖 設色紙本 鏡框
Provenance: Gu Ao (1879-1956) Zhang Zuolin (1875-1928) Zhang Xueliang (1901-2001) Andrew Franklin (1914-2002)
Published and Illustrated:Illustrations of Scenes from The Plum in the Golden Vase (Jin Ping Mei), Shanghai, circa 1940, reprinted circa 1980
來源： 顧鰲（1879-1956） 張作霖（1875-1928） 張學良（1901-2001） Andrew Franklin (1914-2002)
著錄： 《清宮珍寶百美圖》，上海，約1940年，於約1980年重印
Gu Ao (1879–1956), courtesy name Julu, was a Chinese politician and lawyer from Guang'an, Sichuan. A scholar in the late Qing dynasty, he graduated from Japan's Hosei University and held various governmental positions, including roles in the Ministry of Civil Affairs, the Constitutional Compilation Bureau, and as Secretary-General of both the Political Conference and the Provisional Constitution Conference. After the fall of the Qing, he continued serving in the Republic of China, becoming Director of the Legislative Affairs Bureau and receiving high honours. However, his support for Yuan Shikai's monarchy led to his inclusion on a government blacklist in 1916, forcing him to flee. Later pardoned, he was involved in Zhang Xun's failed restoration attempt and subsequently allied with Du Yuesheng. In his later years, he worked as a lawyer and antique dealer in Shanghai.
Zhang Zuolin (1875–1928) was a Chinese warlord and military leader in the early 20th century. His son, Zhang Xueliang (1901–2001), was a significant military figure and politician, best known for his role in the Xi'an Incident, which played a crucial part in uniting China against Japanese aggression. During his long period of house arrest under Chiang Kai-shek, Xueliang devoted much of his time to studying Ming dynasty literature and the Manchu language, as well as collecting Chinese fan paintings, calligraphy, and other works by renowned artists. His collection, comprising over 200 pieces, was assembled under the name of his studio, Dingyuanzhai (定遠齋).
Andrew Albert Ernst Franklin (1914–2002) was a British diplomat and esteemed collector of Chinese art. Fluent in Chinese, he served as the British Vice-Consul in 1939. During his diplomatic tenure, particularly in Formosa (now Taiwan), Franklin developed a profound appreciation for Chinese art, guided by local experts. He began collecting Chinese books, maps, paintings, and ceramics, gradually amassing a substantial collection. Upon retiring, Franklin continued his passion for Chinese art, contributing significantly to the understanding of historical and cultural connections between Europe and China.
Jing Ping Mei is a classic Chinese novel from the late Ming dynasty. It is notable for its detailed and explicit portrayal of sexuality, moral corruption, and the complexities of human behaviour, which makes it a unique and provocative work in the Chinese literary canon.
During the Qing dynasty, Jin Ping Mei's status as a controversial novel increased, virtually censored but still in circulation among the Manchu elite. The Kangxi Emperor, for example, was a declared admirer of the novel and commissioned an album of painted illustrations based on the novel for his personal collection. Although unsigned, this album of 200 paintings, of which the present painting is considered one, are thought to be the works of Court artist Gu Jianlong (1607-after 1687). Gu Jianlong was appointed as a painting attendant (zhihou) in the Court of the Kangxi Emperor in around 1662 and served at Court for about ten years before returning to his native Suzhou.
This album takes for reference the printed illustrations of the Chongzhen edition and has built up a legendary status among scholars and collectors of Chinese paintings, not least for its often frank and graphic depiction of erotic scenes. Of the original album of two hundred paintings, no more than 38 are currently accounted for, many in international museums including the Nelson Atkins museum, leaving the 1940s publication as the only remaining visual record of these important paintings. The emergence of this previously lost painting onto the market is an exciting discovery.
For further discussions of the provenance of this work see 'A Study on the Circulation of Qing Palace Treasures: The Hundred Beautiful Images' in Bibliographical Quarterly, Vol.52, Issue 3, 2018.
See a set of twelve album leaves of illustrations from Jin ping mei, probably from the same set as the present lot, and also from the Andrew Franklin collection, which was sold at Christie's London, 10 May 2006, lot 227.
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