‘BIRD AND BAMBOO’, BY ZHAO SHAO’ANG (1905-1998) China. Ink and watercolors on paper. Finely painted with a long-tailed, blue-crested bird with its beak wide open, perched on a thin bamboo stalk amid leaves and further stalks of varying thickness. Executed in bold and vivid brushstrokes with expressive splashes of warm colors. With a silk brocade frame.

Inscriptions: Lower left, inscribed and signed ‘Shao’ang’, two seals of the artist. Dated to the Yimao year (corresponding to 1975).

Provenance: From a noted private collection.
Condition: Very good condition with minor wear, minimal soiling, and very little creasing to edges.

Dimensions: Image size 92 x 51 cm, Size incl. frame 119 x 67 cm

Zhao Shao'ang (1905-1998) is considered one of the Four Great Masters of the Lingnan School. In the late 19th century, scholars in China broke through entrenched conservative thought schools and began to create and promote new styles of art. This not only cultivated ideological progress within social elites but also gave birth to the eclectic fusion of the Han Chinese and Western styles, as advocated by the Lingnan School, which today is considered – along with the Beijing and Shanghai schools – as one of the three pillars of modern Chinese painting.

Auction result comparison: Compare a related painting by Zhao Shao’Ang with a kingfisher at a lotus pond, dated 1969, at Sotheby’s Hong Kong in Fine Chinese Paintings on 3 October 2016, lot 1234, sold for HKD 750,000.

趙少昂（1905-1998）《竹鳥圖》
中國。紙本設色。一隻長尾藍冠鳥，棲息於細竹上，張開小嘴，似乎在唱歌。筆觸生動，極富表現力。絲綢錦框。

款識：乙卯春三月，少昂於蟬焉室

來源：知名私人收藏。
品相：狀況極好，輕微磨損，少量汙漬，邊緣輕微摺痕。

尺寸：畫面92 x 51 厘米，總119 x 67 厘米

拍賣結果比較：比較趙少昂1969年的《翠鳥圖》，見香港蘇富比Fine Chinese Paintings on 3 October 2016, lot 1234, 售價HKD 750,000。