A POLYCHROME STUCCO FRESCO FRAGMENT DEPICTING A CELESTIAL MAIDEN, YUAN TO MING DYNASTY
China, 13th-16th century. Finely painted in polychrome pigments with details picked out in gesso relief. Depicting a celestial maiden standing in front of a daybed decorated with floral and scroll designs, holding a sheng in front of her, dressed in flowing robes and billowing scarves of red, pale blue, ochre, and white, the head gently tilted downward, her face painted with delicate features, the hair tied into a high chignon with a fine ornament.


Provenance:
From the collection of Dr. Wou Kiuan. Wou Lien-Pai Museum, coll. no. M.8.3. Dr. Wou Kiuan (1910-1997) was a Chinese diplomat and noted scholar of Chinese art. His father, Wou Lien-Pai (1873-1944), was one the leading political figures of early 20th century China, remembered for his role as speaker and leader of parliament during the turbulent years of the Republican era. Dr. Wou himself embarked on an illustrious career in diplomacy until his retirement in 1952, when he settled in London and devoted the rest of his life to the study of Chinese art. It was no doubt fortuitous that Dr. Wou’s years of collecting coincided with an abundant availability of exceptional Chinese art on the London market. From the mid-1950s to the late 1960s he was able to form a collection of well over 1,000 works that together represented virtually every category of Chinese art. At the heart of Dr. Wou’s drive to collect was a burning desire to preserve the relics of China’s rich historical past scattered across Europe, and to promote Chinese art and culture. It is unclear when Dr. Wou conceived the idea to create a place to house his collection, but in 1968, he opened the doors to the Wou Lien-Pai Museum, named in honor of his father. Over the years the museum became a ‘must see’ destination for collectors, academics, and visiting dignitaries, and Dr. Wou would delight in leading his visitors through the galleries, recounting stories of China’s glorious history.

Condition:
Good condition, commensurate with age. Old wear and expected age cracks, minor losses and touch-ups. The frame with some wear, nicks, and scratches. Presenting very well overall.

Dimensions: Image size 82.1 x 45.4 cm. Size incl. frame 90 x 53.8 cm

With a wood frame.


The style of the present fresco
is inspired by the late Tang dynasty temple painting style. This is evident in the treatment of the roundness of the 'melon-seed'-shaped faces and the swirling scarves, giving a dynamism to the work, which was popular amongst builders and decorators of Buddhist temples of the time and continued throughout the Song, Yuan and Ming dynasties.


The sheng is a Chinese mouth-blown polyphonic
reed instrument consisting of vertical pipes. It is one of the oldest Chinese instruments, with images of the instrument dating back to 1100 BC. Some examples of the instrument are dated as far back as the Han dynasty. It is one of the main instruments in kunqu and some other forms of Chinese opera. Ancient instruments like the sheng with gourd wind chambers, varying numbers of pipes, or with bamboo or metal reeds have been discovered in archaeological finds at the tomb of the Marquis Yi of Zeng (c. 433 BC) in present-day Hubei province, and the Han tombs at Mawangdui (c. 2nd century BC) in Hunan province.


Auction result comparison:

Type: Related
Auction: Sotheby’s New York, 11 September 2019, lot 816
Price: USD 37,500 or approx.
EUR 40,500
converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A polychrome stucco fresco fragment, Yuan / Ming dynasty
Expert remark: Compare the related figural motif and size (77.5 x 45.5 cm)




元至明灰泥彩繪神女壁畫

中國，十三至十六世紀。彩繪神女，細節以石膏浮雕呈現。描繪一位仙女站在花卉紋床榻前，手持笙，身著飄逸的長袍，紅、淡藍、赭色、白色的絲巾飄揚，頭微微下低，精緻的五官，頭髮紮成高髻，飾有精美的髮飾。


來源：
吳權博士收藏；吳蓮伯美術館，館藏編號M.8.3。吳權(1910-1997)博士 曾是一位中國外交家以及知名中國藝術收藏家。他的父親吳蓮伯 (1873-1944)先生曾是二十世紀初中國重要政治人物，因在民國動蕩歲月中擔任國會議員及議長而聞名。1952 年，吳博士在外交領域走上了輝煌之路，直到他退休後定居倫敦，並將餘生奉獻給了對中國藝術的研究。毫無疑問，吳權博士多年的收藏，與大量中國藝術珍品現身倫敦藝術市場上時間點相呼應，這無疑是幸運的。從 1950 年代中期到 1960 年代後期，他收集了 1,000 多件藏品，涵蓋了中國藝術的每一個門類。吳博士之所以收藏，其原因主要是爲保護散落歐洲各地的中國文物與推廣中國藝術與文化。尚不清楚吳博士何時想到創建一個美術館來歸置他的收藏的，但在 1968 年，他打開了以他父親的名字命名的 吳蓮伯美術館的大門。多年來，美術館已成為收藏家、學者和來訪政要的必經之地，而吳博士總是很樂意給參觀者介紹美術館，講述中國光輝歷史的故事。

品相：
狀況良好，有磨損和年代裂縫、輕微缺損和修補。外框有一些磨損、刻痕和劃痕。

尺寸：畫面82.1 x 45.4 厘米，含框90 x 53.8 厘米

木框。


拍賣結果比較：

形制：相近
拍賣：紐約蘇富比，2019年9月11日，lot 816
價格：USD 37,500（相當於今日
EUR 40,500
）
描述：元 / 明灰泥彩繪天女圖壁畫殘部
專家評論：比較相近的人物主題和尺寸 (77.5 x 45.5 釐米)。