‘HERDING UNDER WILLOWS’, BY LI KERAN (1907-1989) China. Ink and watercolors on paper. Finely painted with two boys wearing farmer’s hats and white shirts, each riding a water buffalo, the animals’ bodies only partly visible as they move across a river under a willow tree, one boy pulling on a vine.

Inscriptions: Upper left, signed ‘Li Keran’. Lower left with a lengthy inscription. Three seals of the artist.

Provenance: UK trade, by repute acquired from an English private collection.
Condition: Excellent condition with minor wear, soiling, and creasing.

Dimensions: Image size 82.5 x 54.8 cm, Size incl. mounting 124 x 68.3 cm

Li Keran (1907-1989) was a contemporary Chinese guohua painter and art educator. Considered one of the most important Chinese artists in the latter half of the 20th century, he was also an influential professor at the Central Academy of Fine Arts where he taught a generation of Chinese artists. Although trained in Western oil painting, he was known for his traditional literati paintings with influences from Qi Baishi and Huang Binhong, two renowned masters in Chinese painting. Li is also noted for the enlivened water buffaloes in his paintings.

Auction result comparison: Compare a closely related painting by Li Keran, also depicting two boys herding buffalo under a willow, at Sotheby’s Hong Kong in Fine Chinese Paintings on 21 April 2021, lot 2507, sold for HKD 945,000.

李可染(1907-1989)《牧牛圖》
中國。紙本設色。畫中有兩個戴著笠帽的男童，各自騎著一頭水牛，嬌小可愛，與體型較大的水牛形成對比，其愉快的神情則與水牛的酣然之態一致。一個男孩拉著一根柳樹條。整幅畫構圖巧妙，

款識：《牧牛圖》，可染
鈴印：可染

來源：英國古玩市場，據説來自英國私人老收藏。
品相：狀況極佳，輕微磨損、汙漬和摺痕。

尺寸：畫面82.5 x 54.8厘米，總124 x 68.3厘米

拍賣結果比較：比較一幅相近的李可染《牧牛圖》，見香港蘇富比Fine Chinese Paintings 2021年4月21日 lot 2507, 售價HKD 945,000。