China. Ink and watercolors on paper. Finely painted with a blossoming white peony borne on a leafy stem beside a rosebud borne on a thorned stem, all below three buzzing bees.

Inscriptions: Lower left, signed ‘Zhaolin’, dated ‘in the Summer of the Year of Jiawu’ (corresponding to 1954), and inscribed ‘the first flower of the spring breeze’.

Provenance: English trade. The back with an old label from Ryman & Co, which was founded in 1893 when Henry J Ryman opened his first store as a book printer on Great Portland Street, London, that is still open today.
Condition: Very good condition with minor wear and little soiling.

Dimensions: Image size 55.3 x 35.2 cm

Matted and framed. (2)

Fang Zhaolin (1914-2006) was born in Wuxi, Jiangsu province in east China. She studied Chinese painting with several masters including Qian Songyan, the Lingnan School master, Zhao Shao’ang (1905-1998), and later with one of the most celebrated Chinese artists, Zhang Daqian (1899-1983). In her forties, she completed her university training in Hong Kong and then at Oxford. From the 1950s to the 1970s, Fang lived and traveled in Europe and America where she became knowledgeable about trends in modern Western painting. Her enduring passion was, however, the traditional Chinese style, rooted in national history and culture. The landscapes and the still lifes she painted were always depictions of home. She was fascinated by the simplicity of Han mural paintings and developed a distinctive style of her own in both figure paintings and in her landscapes which, from the 1970s, often combine calligraphic lines and forms to illustrate mountains and rocks instead of using the traditional method of ink strokes. Well into her 80s, Fang Zhaolin continued to rise early and paint for six to eight hours each day. Staying busy, she says, is the secret to long life. “If you are engaged and occupied with your work, you don't bother worrying about small problems. You don't dwell on things or let them bother you.”

Expert’s note: The present painting is an early work by this artist before she had developed her own distinct style, and clearly shows the influence of Zhao Shao’ang, much like lot no. 200 in this sale.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie’s Paris, 13 June 2018, lot 41
Price: EUR 5,000 or approx. EUR 5,600 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: Fang Zhaolin (1914-2006), Bees and Roses
Expert remark: Note the size (47 x 34 cm)



方召麐《牡丹圖》，1954年
中國，紙本水墨設色。精緻地繪有一朵盛開的白牡丹，它長在多葉的莖上，旁邊是一朵玫瑰花蕾，長在帶刺的莖上，下面是三隻嗡嗡作響的蜜蜂。

款識：管領春風第一花，甲午仲夏之月召麐；鈴印：召麐

來源：英國古玩交易，背面有Ryman & Co標籤。該藝廊成立於1893年，Henry J Ryman 在倫敦大波特蘭街開設了他的第一家印書店，該店至今仍在營業。
品相：狀況極佳，輕微磨損與污漬。

尺寸：畫面55.3 x 35.2 厘米

鏡片。(2)

方召麐(1914-2006)出生於中國江蘇省無錫市，曾跟隨多位國畫大師學習書畫，如嶺南派錢松喦、大師趙少昂以及張大千。四十多歲時，她先後在香港和牛津就讀。五十年代至七十年代，方在歐美遊歷旅居，了解西方現代繪畫潮流。然而，她深愛民族歷史和文化與傳統中國風格。她畫的風景和靜物經常是對家的描繪。她著迷於漢族壁畫的簡潔，並在人物畫和山水畫中形成了自己獨特的風格，從 20 世紀 70 年代開始，她經常結合書法線條和形式來描繪山石，而不是使用傳統的繪畫方法。她的作品保留老師的風格，作品色彩濃烈，用筆豪放。

專家注釋：這件拍品是方召麐早期作品，還未形成自己的風格以及沒有受到趙少昂的影響，很像本此拍賣拍品編號 200。

拍賣結果比較：
形制：非常相近
拍賣：巴黎佳士得，2018年6月13日 ，lot 41
價格：EUR 5,000（相當於今日EUR 5,600）
描述：方召麐《蜜蜂與花》設色紙本
專家評論：請注意尺寸(47 x 34釐米)。