PROPERTY FROM THE WANG SHENBO (1895-1989) FAMILY COLLECTION 汪申伯(1895-1989)家族珍藏XU TINGKUN (XU BAIZHAI, 1777-1853)
A Set of Eight Lantern Paintings (Denghua) of Theatrical SubjectsEight hanging scrolls, each ink and color on silk, each painting depicting two or three scenes drawn from popular operas or novels, the side of each scene inscribed in ink with a title, each painting bearing a collector's seal reading Wang shi Shenbo suo cang.51 x 14in (130 x 35.6cm) the largest (8).
Provenance:From the collection of Wang Shenbo (1895-1989), thereafter by descent.Xu Tingkun, also known as Xu Baizhai (徐白斋) and Xu Wu (徐五), was a native of Beijing and a popular professional painter whose lantern paintings were regarded among the highest quality works of the genre during the late 18th to early 19th centuries. He was also known for fan painting depicting subjects such as Zhong Kui the Demon Queller and scenes from Journey to the West. The present set of eight panels is an exceptional example of Xu's virtuosity in figural painting, distinguished by vividly individualized expressions and the meticulous rendering of theatrical costumes, furnishings, and settings. Surviving works by the artist are scarce, further underscoring the significance of the present set. A hanging scroll depicting women and children celebrating the Spring Festival is in the collection of the British Museum (registration number 1910,0212,0.529), while an album leaf illustrating the legend of the Chan Buddhist monk Jigong (1130-1209) is preserved in the Liaoning Provincial Museum. A further set of eight panels was sold at Bonhams, San Francisco, Asian Decorative Works of Art, 4 October 2017, lot 5298. Lantern paintings were executed on silk and mounted to form the sides of lanterns, their brilliant colors becoming particularly striking when illuminated from behind. While lantern paintings of the Ming dynasty generally favored landscapes or bird-and-flower subjects, those of the Qing increasingly depicted more dramatic narratives, reflecting the widespread popularity of opera and vernacular novels. The unusually large dimensions of the present paintings suggest that they may originally have been mounted as lantern screens.The present lot and the set previously offered at Bonhams San Francisco both belonged to the collection of Wang Shenbo, who was a native of Wuyuan, Jiangxi Province. He received a master's degree in architectural engineering in 1925 in Paris and subsequently held a number of prominent positions, including Head of the Department of Architecture at National University of Beiping, Deputy Director of the Committee for the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Relics in the Former Capital, architectural engineer at the Palace Museum, Director of Peking Municipal Bureau of Public Works, and Head of the Department of French at the Université Franco-Chinoise. In 1935, Wang participated in the design of a movie theater for sound films, an undertaking that attests to his keen interest in the performing arts and Chinese opera.徐廷琨(1777-1853) 京劇故事燈畫 設色絹本 立軸八屏(其一)題簽:徐白齋畫燈片——楊志遇曹正、折柳陽関款識:楊志遇曹正、折柳陽関(其二)題簽:徐白齋畫燈片——綠牡丹、懷德揭榜款識:綠牡丹、懷德揭榜(其三)題簽:徐白齋畫燈片——花報瑤臺、寒江関盜子款識:花報瑤臺、寒江関盜子(其四)題簽:徐白齋畫燈片——雙合印、胭脂虎款識:雙合印、胭脂虎(其五)題簽:徐白齋畫燈片——魚腸劍、打齋飯款識:魚腸劍、打齋飯(其六)題簽:徐白齋畫燈片——洛陽橋、湘江會款識:洛陽橋、湘江會(其七)題簽:徐白齋畫燈片——劉高手探病、轅門斬子款識:劉高手探病、轅門斬子(其八)題簽:徐白齋畫燈片——胭脂血丟印、楊七郎吃麵款識:胭脂血丟印、楊七郎吃麵藏印:汪氏申伯收藏(八鈐)來源:汪申伯(1895-1989)家族舊藏,後由遺族遞傳。徐廷琨,又名徐白齋、徐五,北京人氏,為乾、嘉、道年間極負盛名的職業畫家,其燈畫作品在當時同類畫作中被推譽為上乘之作。此外,他亦長於繪製扇面,題材多取鍾馗及《西遊記》故事。本套八幅屏風堪稱徐氏畫藝之典範,所繪人物情態生動,各具神采,戲曲服飾設色綺麗,場景陳設細緻工巧。徐氏傳世作品甚稀,益顯本套作品之珍貴。大英博物館藏有其〈春節磨鏡圖〉軸一件(藏品編號1910,0212,0.529),遼寧省博物館則藏有〈濟公傳圖冊〉一作。此外,另一套八聯屏曾於2017年10月4日在邦瀚斯舊金山「亞洲藝術」專場上拍,拍品編號5298。燈片通常繪於絹素之上,裝裱後嵌於燈籠各面。在燈光映照下的畫片,色彩益顯燦爛奪目。明代燈畫多以山水或花鳥為題,至清代則戲曲故事及通俗小說情節增多,反映當時戲曲與白話小說之蓬勃流行。本套畫作尺幅極大,推測原或裝裱為燈屏之用。此套八聯屏及邦瀚斯舊金山所釋出者,同屬汪申伯舊藏。汪申伯,名申,字申伯,江西婺源人。一九二五年於巴黎獲建築工學碩士,歷任北平大學藝術學院建築系主任、故都文物整理委員會副處長、故宮博物院建築技師、北平市工務局局長、中法大學法文係主任等要職。一九三五年曾設計有聲戲院,足見其對戲曲藝術興味濃厚。劉半農(1891-1934)嘗撰《為汪局長脫靴》一文,記其軼事。
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