Expert Picks: Calligraphy and Paintings From Hong Kong's Asian Art Week

ink and colour on paper, fan leaf

signed Yun Shouping, dated guiyou (1673) and with two seals of the artist
with four collectors’ seals, three of Gong Benang’s and one of Lian Quan’s

Estimate: 150,000 – 300,000 HKD

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ink and colour on paper, fan leaf

signed Wang Yuanqi, with a dedication and one seal of the artist
With one collector’s seal of Lian Quan

Estimate: 80,000 – 180,000 HKD

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ink and colour on paper, fan leaf

signed Rui, with a dedication and one seal of the artist

Estimate: 80,000 – 160,000 HKD

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ink on gold-flecked paper, fan leaf

signed Zhao Nanxing, with a dedication and one seal of the artist
annotation by Cheng Yuguang (1799-?), dated the fifth year of Tongzhi era (1866) and with one seal of his
with two collector’s seals of Gong Benang

Estimate: 30,000 – 80,000 HKD

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ink on gold-flecked paper, fan leaf

signed Ruzhong, titled, and with one seal of the artist
with one collector’s seal of Gong Benang

Estimate: 50,000 - 150,000 HKD

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ink on silk, fan leaf

signed Wang Duo and with a dedication
with one collector’s seal of Gong Benang

Estimate: 120,000 – 280,000 HKD

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ink on paper, handscroll

Estimate: 8,000,000 – 16,000,000 HKD

This handscroll contains Yuan dynasty calligrapher and scholar Zhao Mengfu’s letter to his friend Liu Yanfang, in which he reminisces about the past and announces his impending departure, and high-ranking official Kangli Naonao’s letter reply to his brother, Kangli Huihui. Both were prominent calligraphers of the Yuan dynasty and surviving calligraphies are few and far between making this handscroll truly an impeccably rare find.

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ink and colour on paper, album of twenty leaves

Estimate: 8,000,000 – 16,000,000 HKD

Dong Gao (1740-1818) was a prominent official, scholar, painter and calligrapher of the Qing dynasty, during the reigns of both emperors Qianlong and Jiaqing. His father, Dong Bangda, served as the Minister of Rites. Dong Gao immersed himself in painting and calligraphy from a young age, his works earned high praise and admiration from the Qianlong Emperor and a flourishing career in the court. This album of 20 leaves depicts a series of rich and elegant landscapes based on an imperial poem by the Qianlong Emperor and was once a treasured item in the Qing imperial collection.

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ink on paper, handscroll

Estimate: 2,000,000 – 4,000,000 HKD

This handscroll, written by Dong Qichang, the Minister of Rites of the Ming dynasty, is a copy of the Heart Sutra of Prajna Paramita translated by the monk Xuanzang under imperial decree following “Wang Xizhi’s Preface to the Sacred Teachings” compiled by Tang Huairen. A renowned stele in the history of Chinese calligraphy, inscribed by the Taizong Emperor of the Tang dynasty, its contents praises Buddhism and Xuanzang’s achievements translating Buddhist scriptures and cultural exchange in his journeys to the West. Dong Qichang, who was a collector and connoisseur, extensively studied calligraphies and paintings, devoting considerable attention to the research of epigraphy. To Dong Qichang, this stele presented a valuable example of Wang Xizhi’s calligraphy, and while he often copied Buddhist scriptures, this handscroll of a Heart Sutra copied from a stele is rare.

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ink on silk, handscroll

Estimate: 6,000,000 – 12,000,000 HKD

Wang Shouren (1472-1529), courtesy name Bo’an and often referred to as Wang Yangming, was a general and Neo-Confucian philosopher of the Ming dynasty, often regarded as the most important Neo-Confucian thinker after Zhu Xi. This handscroll brings together a poem in running script by Wang Shouren, signed Yangming with two artist’s seals, and a portrait of Wang Shouren by Ming dynasty portrait painter Zeng Jing, signed Zeng Jing with one seal of the artist. The handscroll features a postcript by Gu Wenbin (1811-1889) describing the evening of the Mid-Autumn Festival during which Wang Shouren created the poem, and further postscripts by Gao Xinhui (1835-1883), Gu Ao (1879-1956), written by Xiang Zongdi (1889-1969), and Xiang Zongdi.



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ink on paper, hanging scroll

Estimate: 2,000,000 – 4,000,000 HKD

Mei Qing (1623-1697), courtesy name Yuan Gong and pseudonym Qushan, was a poet, calligrapher and landscape painter of the Qing dynasty. A descendant of Mei Yaochen, a renowned official of the Northern Song dynasty, Mei Qing excelled in poetry and prose, and painting pine trees, rocks, landscapes and plum blossoms. Born in Xuancheng, Anhui Province, Mei Qing was often found inspiration in the majestic beauty of Huangshan. Renowned for its natural beauty –granite rocks, hot springs, glistening winter snow and high view of clouds – Huangshan has long been a pilgrim for scholars and artists, inspiring many paintings and poems. This hanging scroll portrays the Guangming Ding (Bright Summit), the second highest peak of Mount Huangshan.

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ink and colour on paper, hanging scroll

Estimate: 2,000,000 – 4,000,000 HKD

This hanging scroll depicts a sweeping landscape of forest trees, granite rocks and cascading waters, punctuated by pavilions and terraces. Though dense and rich in composition, it emits an aura of tranquility. Fang Cong served as a court painter during the reign of the Qianlong Emperor. The present scroll bears the seals of both the Qianlong Emperor and Jiaqing Emperor, as well as an imperial poem dated to the 34th year of the Qianlong reign (1769) in which the Emperor Qianlong captures the artistic essence of Fang Cong’s painting.

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ink and colour on paper, hanging scroll

Estimate: 2,500,000 – 5,000,000 HKD

After leaving China in 1949, Chang Dai-chien (Zhang Daqian) led a peripatetic artistic life travelling to many places across the world. In the 1960s, Chang Dai-chien and his family were residing in São Paulo, Brazil. There he constructed Bade Garden (Garden of Eight Virtues), planting some 3000 persimmon trees, and creating a lush landscape abundant with flowers and trees, even excavating the site to construct a lake and a miniature mountain. Combining splash-ink and colour techniques with traditional brushwork, this painting portrays a closeup of the lake set against twisted tree branches and fiery blossoms. A lone scholar stands, looking to the distant, seemingly enjoying the spring scenary.

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ink and colour on paper, hanging scroll

Executed in 1946

Estimate: 3,500,000 – 6,000,000 HKD

Hailed as one of the great masters of modern Chinese painting, Chang Dai-chien (Zhang Daqian, 1899-1983) often portrayed the landscapes of Sichuan, the province in which he was born and held fond memories. A significant Taoist site, Qingcheng Moutain is renowned for its profound historical significance and beautiful natural landscape. Favouring the tranquility and remoteness of the mountain, Chang Dai-chien frequently visited the area, bringing the landscape to life in his rich swathes of ink.

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ink and colour on paper

Estimate: 2,000,000 – 3,000,000 HKD

Aside from glorious, sweeping landscapes, Chang Dai-chien is also highly regarded for his paintings of enchanting and graceful beauties. Fan in hand, seated on a rock, the protagonist of this painting elegantly twists her body, gazing thoughtfully away from bamboo tree beside her, a symbol of a gentleman.

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ink and colour on paper, framed

Estimate: 2,600,000 – 5,000,000 HKD

In the aftermath of World War II, when world powers sought peace and regeneration, Qi Baishi, at the age of 90, began to paint peace doves – a motif which was to become one of the artist’s most celebrated subject of his later years. In 1952, in celebration of the Asia and Pacific Rim Peace Conference held in Beijing, Qi Baishi painted the monumental work Hundred Flowers and Doves of Peace. The present painting was executed in the same year and features three doves. While the white dove twists in mid-air, looking back, the brown and black doves stand gazing at each other, creating an interplay of stillness and movement. When viewed through light, the painting reveals a faint pattern of a half-figure of Buddha seated in a lotus position – together with the three doves it is a rare and captivating combination carrying the meaning of universal harmony.

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ink and colour on paper, album of eight leaves

Estimate: 3,800,000 – 7,000,000 HKD

Hailing from a private collection in Asia, this album of eight leaves is an exemplary showcase of Qi Baishi’s (1864-1957) highly regarded meticulous and whimsical painting style. The artist often drew inspiration from flowers, plants and living creatures he observed, juxtaposed with quotidian objects. Together, the leaves in this album present a visual chronicle of plants, insects and utilitarian vessels found in everyday life.

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ink and colour on paper

Estimate: 850,000 – 1,200,000 HKD

Respected as one of the most important Chinese artists of the latter part of the 20th century, Li Keran (1907-1989) was an influential educator at the Central Academy of Fine Arts and highly regarded guohua painter. In this painting, Li Keran portrays a scene from the Li River, inspired by his sketching trip to Guilin in 1959. The majestic aura of the mountains is painted in heavy layers of ink, alongside finely painted fishing boats traveling along the river stream, which is deliberately left blank, rendering it the absolute focal point of the painting. The Li River became a lifelong source of inspiration for Li Keran, the subject, one of the most important in his oeuvre.

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ink and colour on paper

Executed in 1979

Estimate: 1,800,000 – 2,400,000 HKD

Artist, calligrapher, scholar Fan Zeng (b. 1938) specializes in figurative paintings, in particular the portray of historical personages. In this painting, Fan Zeng depicts the story of Tang dynasty scholar Lü Dongbin learning Taoism from Zhongli Quan. The legend goes that the two met in a tavern in Chang’an, where Zhongli Quan tested Lü Dongbin with ten trials before accepting him as a disciple. Through his spiritual cultivation, Lü Dongbin eventually achieves the status of immortal, joining Zhongli Quan among the revered ranks of the Eight Immortals.

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ink and colour on paper, album of eight leaves

Executed in 1987

Estimate: 600,000 – 1,200,000 HKD

Born in Songjiang, near Shanghai, into a family of physicians, Cheng Shifa studied traditional painting at Shanghai Art College, and later became an illustrator of children’s books and an educator at the Shanghai Chinese Painting Academy. Though widely known for his figurative works, this present album of eight leaves, each portraying a landscape and inscribed with Tang dynasty poetry, demonstrates Cheng Shifa’s mastery of many techniques and subjects. Together, the album weaves a visual journal capturing the natural beauty of four seasons.

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