'BIRDS IN SPRING' BY HUA YAN (1682-1756)Ink on silk. Depicting two birds perched on a prunus branch below a hanging willow, the painting finely executed with skillful use of shading.Inscriptions: Lower left, 'Lil?? taohong (Green Weeping Willow, Red Peach Blossom)' and signed 'Xinluo Shanren', two seals, 'Hua Yan' and 'Qiugu'.Provenance: Karl Zeilinger (1944-2014), a collector of Asian art and antique weapons from N??rnberg, Germany. Thence by descent in the same family.Condition: Old repairs, staining, losses, all well visible on images, no hidden damages.Dimensions: Size incl. frame 102.8 x 50.7 cm, Image size 80.3 x 29.5 cm. Matted and framed.Hua Yan (1682-1756), who often used different names including Xinluo Shanren, was a painter active during the earlier Qing dynasty. He was born in Shanghang, Fujian province, and lived in Yangzhou and later in Hangzhou. He was one of the Eight Eccentrics of Yangzhou, who were known in the Qing Dynasty for rejecting the orthodox ideas about painting in favor of a style deemed expressive and individualist.Auction result comparison: Compare with a related but slightly larger painting by the same artist at Christie's Hong Kong in Fine Classical Paintings and Calligraphy on 27 November 2006, lot 690, sold for HKD 420,000.《桃紅柳綠》,華喦(1682-1756) 款中國,絹本水墨。兩隻燕子依偎在桃樹上,旁邊柳枝搖曳,描繪生動,春意盎然。款識:新羅山人;鈴印:華喦,秋穀 來源:Karl Zeilinger (1944-2014), 德國紐倫堡中國藝術及古董武器收藏家。自此保存在同一家族至今。品相:舊修,染色,缺損失,沒有隱藏的損壞 尺寸:縂102.8 x 50.7 厘米,畫面80.3 x 29.5 厘米;有鋪墊,裝裱拍賣結果比較:一件相近但更大的華喦畫作見香港佳士得Fine Classical Paintings and Calligraphy 拍場2006年11月 27日 lot 690, 售價HKD 420,000.