China, 1644-1912. Gold and watercolors on paper. Depicting the Song-dynasty poet Su Dongpo seated on a gnarled wooden armchair with his feet atop the extended footrest, all against a deep blue ground.

Inscriptions: Upper right, inscribed with a poem by Huang Tingjian praising Su Dongpo. Upper left, inscribed ‘Su Wenzhong gong’ (posthumous name of Su Dongpo). Huang Tingjian (1045-1105) was a Chinese calligrapher, painter, and poet of the Song dynasty. He was one of the Four Masters of the Song Dynasty and was a younger friend of Su Dongpo.

Provenance: From a private collection in the United Kingdom.
Condition: Excellent condition with old wear, minuscule losses mostly to edges, and minor soiling.

Dimensions: Size 31.3 x 24.2 cm

The present painting was done after an image (fig. 1) in the book Wanxiao tang huazhuan (Pictorial biographies of the Wanxiao Hall) by Shangguan Zhou (born 1665), first published in 1743. This work contains a collection of beautifully printed illustrations, including one hundred and twenty famous historical figures from the Han to the early Ming dynasty with their biographies. In the preface, the author and artist Shangguan Zhou reveals that the woodblocks for this work were carved in Guangdong province in his 79th year (i.e., 1743). One meaning of the word ‘Wanxiao’ is ‘late bloomer’, which perhaps is a reference to his advanced age at the time he created this work.

Su Shi (1037-1101), courtesy name Zizhan, art name Dongpo, was a Chinese poet, writer, politician, calligrapher, painter, pharmacologist, and gastronome of the Song dynasty. A major personality of his era, Su was an important figure in Song dynasty politics, aligning himself with Sima Guang and others, against the New Policy party led by Wang Anshi. He is widely regarded as one of the most accomplished figures in classical Chinese literature, having produced some of the most well-known poems, lyrics, prose, and essays. Su Shi was famed as an essayist, and his prose writings lucidly contribute to the understanding of topics such as 11th-century Chinese travel literature or detailed information on the contemporary Chinese iron industry. His poetry has a long history of popularity and influence in China, Japan, and other areas in the near vicinity and is well known in the English-speaking parts of the world through the translations by Arthur Waley, among others. In terms of the arts, Su Shi has some claim to being “the pre-eminent personality of the eleventh century.” (Alfreda Murck, Poetry and Painting in Song China: The Subtle Art of Dissent, Harvard University Asia Center, 2000)

清代《蘇文忠公》圖
中國，1644-1912年，紙本設色及金彩，藍地繪製宋代詩人及政治家蘇東坡肖像。蘇東坡坐於木靠椅上，雙脚置於脚踏板上。

款識：右上角書黃庭堅所寫的關於蘇東坡的詩句。左上角可“蘇文忠公”。

來源：英國私人收藏。
品相：狀況極好，舊時磨損, 邊緣細微缺損，些微污跡。

尺寸：31.3 x 24.2 厘米