Lilac Studio

Price realised HKD 2,430,000

Estimate

HKD 600,000 – HKD 800,000

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QI BAISHI (1863-1957)

Lilac Studio

Price realised HKD 2,430,000

Details More from

QI BAISHI (1863-1957)
Lilac Studio
Entitled, inscribed and signed, with two seals of the artist
Dated third month, wuyin year (1938)
Scroll, mounted and framed, ink on paper
180 x 43 cm. (70 7/8 x 17 in.)
20th Century

Qi Baishi noted that there were four important people that affected his artistic creation : Xia Shoutian, Hu Nanhu, Chen Shizeng and Xu Beihong.
Hu E'gong (1874-1951), also known as Hu Nanhu, occupied important military positions in the Hubei military and was also the Chief Commander of the E'brigade Naval Group during the Xin Hai Revolution. He was later part of the congress for the Beiyang government in 1913 and vice minister in the Education department. In 1920 he established Today magazine, and together with Li Dazhao, Chen Duxiu and Chen Henge's father Chen Sanli, joined the Communist Party in 1921. He left the part in 1943 following the battle in Guangxi's Guilin and passed away in Taipei in 1951 due to a heart attack.
Hu was an avid collector of Qi's works, and became friends with the artist as a result of his purchases. In Qi's memoirs he mentions creating many paintings and gifting them to Hu in the year 1919. One particular painting which delighted Hu so much that, in return, Hu gave one of his maids to Qi Baishi. She later became his concubine and took care of him in Beijing.
The Lilac Studio was a private residence which Hu created for his mother. Qi painted Lilac Studio in 1938 to commemorate his friendship with Hu, as Hu had already moved to Shanghai and the residence was no longer with his family. Another painting of The Lilac Studio is in horizontal format. Although different in composition, it was created at a similar time and still in the collection of Hu E'gong.

Please note that the size of this painting should be 100 x 18.3 cm.(39 3/8 x 7 1/4 in.) instead of stated in the catalogue.

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