A RARE IMPERIAL PAINTING OF THE BANNERMAN ZHA ER SHAN QING DYNASTY, QIANLONG PERIOD, DATED 1760

ink and colour on silk, mounted as a hanging scroll, portraying the officer of the Imperial Guard, his distinguished face with quizzical eyes, donning a fur-lined hat marked by a clear blue glass bead and a peacock feather with a single-eyed plume, dan yan hua ling, wearing a blue surcoat over beige leggings and shod with a pair of black silk boots, holding a sword and shagreen covered scabbard in his left and right hands, eulogized with several lines of text written at the top on the right side in Chinese in kaishu (standard script) and in Manchu on the left, with one seal of the Qianlong Emperor, Qian Long Yu Lan Zhi Bao

Acquired from Vallin Galleries, Connecticut (in the 1970s).

The painting is in fair overall condition; there is horizontal creasing, cracking and associated loss and restoration to the beige background of the upper half of the painting and to the blue tunic, with several areas of the beige silk background having been patched (including, but not limited to, the following areas: 7x4cm., 6x5cm., 4x1cm., 5x1cm., 7x1cm., 12x1cm., 4x3cm., and 9x4cm.); heavy vertical and horizontal creasing and cracking to a 25x13cm., area at the lower right section of the background; minor re-touching to the boots; minor scratch to the head, and small flakes to the sword and scabbard. It is possible that the painting has been slightly reduced at the edges. It is advised to either view the painting or request additional photographs in order to gain a fuller appreciation of condition.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The eulogy describes meritorious officer, Zha Er Shan, Supervisor-in-Chief of Yuansulun, as a courageous and confident warrior whose achievements on the battlefield are laudable. On horseback he speeds across the 'Black Water', facing many on his own with his spear killing mercilessly and fighting with all his might to the end.

Bannerman Zha Er Shan distinguished himself in the Eastern Turkestan (Xinjiang 1755-59) campaign, one of the major victorious campaigns of the Qianlong Emperor to control the Dzungar state and to secure the boundaries of Chinese Turkestan. This campaign helped eliminate Dzungar rivalry for control over the Dalai Lamas in Tibet and led to the pacification of the Islamicized, Turkic-speaking southern half of Xinjiang, thereby securing Qing imperial control over the vast region of Inner-Asia.

The present portrait is number 24 from Group II of the Eastern Turkistan, 2^nd Series, painted in 1760. The eulogies of the 2^nd series of portraits were composed and written by eminent officials Liu Tongxun, Liu Lun and Yu Minzhong. Imperial bannermen paintings were housed in the Ziguange (Hall of Purple Splendour), a hall of fame for immortal heroes, located in the West Garden of the Imperial Palace precincts in Beijing.

The painting shows Zha Er Shan in his prime wearing a typical navy surcoat and a single-eyed peacock feather hanging from the back of his black fur-trimmed winter hat, an imperial gift bestowed only to officers who had distinguished themselves in a military campaign. His vivid and energetic facial expression depicted in a three-quarter view, the added eulogy on a separate piece of yellow silk called shitang (poem hall) are characteristic of this type of traditional Chinese portrait painting. The thick ink brushstrokes outlining the body and the strong watercolours are typical of 18^th century imperial academy workshop painting style. Furthermore, it is interesting to note that a close look at the face reveals the influence of Western painting techniques introduced by Jesuit missionary artists at the Qing court. The modelling of the face is intense and naturalistic, especially the eyes that are painted with white specs. For further information on bannermen paintings see Nie Chongzheng, 'The Newly Discovered Bannerman Portrait Painting of Yisamu from Ziguang Pavilion', Imperial Peking. The Last Days, Sotheby's, London, 2007, pp. 112-113.     

Other paintings from the 2^nd series have been sold through auction; such as the painting of the Bannerman Yisamu attributed to Ai Qimeng and Jin Tingbiao, sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 9^th October 2007, lot 1314, together with the portrait of Bannerman Tanibu, lot 1315 and Bannerman Dalhan, lot 1316. The painting of Dalhan is recorded as portrait number 43 in the 2^nd series of the meritorious officers who helped pacify the Muslims in the Ili region that was part of the East Turkestan campaign between 1755-1759.

The portrait of Hu Er Cha Ba, of the first rank, was sold in our New York rooms, 3^rd June 1986, lot 90; the portrait of the General Fu Heng, was also sold in our New York rooms, 23-25^th April 1987, lot 56; and a set of ten paintings from a handscroll of fifty paintings of bannermen by Jin Tingbao, also commissioned by the Qianlong emperor in 1760, was sold in our New York rooms, 31^st March – 1^st April, 2005, lot 280. A group of bust size oil paintings can be found in the Ethnologisches Museum, Staatliche Museen in Berlin, illustrated in Herbert Butz et al., Bilder fur die 'Halle de Purpurglanzes', Berlin, 2003, pl. 12-17.