Description A group of three scrolls, one woodblock print, one painted fan, and five flat paintings. Scroll one is of a man on a white horse with a second horse in black. It contains three seals and calligraphy. Scroll two is of bamboo with three seals and calligraphy. Scroll three is of a flowering branch with three seals and calligraphy. The woodblock print has seals and a carved signature of Zheng Xie. The fan has an image of a house beside a river. The five paintings have varying subject matter including kittens, a child, a vase with a branch and pomegranates, sparrows and orchids, and men sitting by water. Dimensions are: Scroll one sight area: 10 1/8 inches tall X 13 1/4 inches wide; 25.7 cm tall X 33.7 cm wide. Woodblock print: 47 inches tall X 24 1/2 inches wide; 119.3 cm tall X 62.2 cm wide. Kitten painting sight area: 12 3/8 inches tall X 12 5/8 inches wide; 31 cm tall X 32 cm wide. All measurements are approximate.
Condition Report Foxing on Kitten painting. Edge tear on Vase with Branch painting. Tears to the reverse side of fan and screw in handle missing and replaced with a wire.
Provenance From the old collection of Mr. William Wu, San Francisco, USA. William Wu (1939-2007) was born in Shanghai and moved to Hong Kong with his family when he was young. In 1957, he was admitted to the Department of Philosophy at Princeton University. Because of his interest in history, in 1979 he received a doctorate in art history from Princeton University focusing on the Chinese artist Gong Xian. After graduation, he was successively employed as a professor of art history at Dartmouth, Oberlin, and other colleges. He later settled in San Francisco, California, where he presided over the Chinese Cultural Center, held regular cultural exhibitions, and devoted himself to introducing Chinese culture and artists to Western audiences. During the 1980s, he traveled between San Francisco and Shanghai and became an important bridge for cultural and artistic exchanges. Professor William Wu and the famous movie star Jet Li are distant relatives, and he was a great help in the early years of Jet Li's career development. Mr. Wu maintained contact with Jet Li during his life.