Ink and watercolors on silk. The striking contrast between the traditional, somewhat staid buildings and the mystic depth of the monumental landscape are a hallmark of the legendary artist.

Inscriptions: Signed Wen Zhengming and inscribed upper left with an excerpt from a poem by Wang Anshi, a noted poet and politician during the Song dynasty who served as Chancellor between 1070 and 1076.

Provenance: From a private estate in Texas, USA, by repute acquired in Japan between 1945 and 1950, and thence by descent in the same family. Old collector’s label with serial number to one of the pegs.
Condition: A series of water stains to the center of the painting which have been restored a long time ago, significant losses and tears, browning.

Dimensions: Image size 94.5 x 41 cm

Mounted as a hanging scroll with handles neatly carved from zitan wood in imitation of bamboo.

Wen Zhengming (1470-1559) was one of a number of Ming dynasty literati artists who set themselves in opposition to the professional, academy-influenced style favored in the region of Zhejiang. Wen and other amateur artists of the Wu school (named after the region around Suzhou, where most of them were based) carried on the wenren scholar-artist tradition of the preceding dynasties. Eschewing official sponsorship and hostile to the politics of the imperial court, these artists sought private patrons and the respect of their peers, frequently painting works in the style of older masters. Wen studied under the founder of the Wu school, Shen Zhou, whose style he was deeply influenced by. He sometimes added his own poetry to Shen Zhou's paintings, thereby benefitting from the latter's established reputation. After he achieved fame in his own right, Wen's many colophons to Shen Zhou's works often lent them authenticity in the eyes of collectors.

Wen and his mentor both revered the artists of the preceding Song and Yuan dynasties, though he rarely imitated them directly. He produced works in a number of styles and has been called a ‘chameleon’ whose works could easily be misidentified. Wen's paintings were highly sought after by wealthy collectors throughout the 16th century, and counterfeits of his works were common during the late Ming. He was also a prolific and well-known writer, whose poems often touched on the subject of painting. He regarded art and nature as being inseparable, and frequently wrote about and painted nature scenes.

Auction result comparison: Compare with a related work, but of considerably larger size, at Christie’s New York in Fine Chinese Paintings on 20 March 2018, lot 2, sold for USD 18,750.

文徵明款《山水圖》
絹本設色。亭臺樓閣錯落有致與山水景觀形成鮮明對比是這位傳奇畫家的標誌。

款識：文徵明 款，左上方有王安石詩，王安石是宋代著名的詩人和政治家，曾在1070至1076年間擔任尚書左僕射。

來源：德克薩斯私人遺產，據説1945、1950年間購於日本，自此保存與同一家族至今。可見老收藏家標簽和收藏編號。
品相：繪畫中心的有一些水漬，已在很久以前得到修復，明顯的缺損，紙張變成褐色。

尺寸：畫面 94.5 x 41 厘米

立軸，天杆地杆由紫檀木雕刻成竹子形。

拍賣結果比較：一件相似作品但尺寸較大，售于紐約佳士得 Fine Chinese Paintings拍場2018年3月 20 日, lot 2, 售價 USD 18,750.