Zhang Daqian (Chang Dai-chien, 1899-1983)

signed YUAN, dated 1982, inscribed, with four seals of the artist, and one collector's seal

INSCRIPTION
Planting plum trees upon the twin streams,
I grew old and weary of the noisy city;
Who can believe when A Chao arrived,
That earthly Peach Blossom Spring was just a dream.

The plum blossoms grow exuberantly at Moye Jingshe. Friends who have seen them were full of praise and admiration, and described it as Paradise. They said that ever since I moved here, neighbours have settled in and grew flowers. One could hear their chickens cackle and dogs bark, and see the lights from their residence. How would I be able to escape the hustle and bustle of city life? We all erupted in laughter. As I paint this work, I compose a little poem to commemorate the happiness of the occasion, and inscribed it on this painting. The seventy first year of the Republic of China, the seventh day of the last lunar month. Yuan, at 84 years of age.

Previously in the Chai Sian Kwan Collection
Sotheby’s Hong Kong, Fine Chinese Paintings, May 1987, Lot 98
Previously in the the Robert H. Ellsworth Collection

Taipei, National Museum of History, Paintings and Calligraphy of Chang Dai-chien, January, 1983
Singapore, National Museum of Singapore, The Art of Chang Da-chien, June 10 to 24, 1984
Hong Kong Arts Centre; National Musuem of History, Taiwan, Pao Sui Loong Galleries, Art of Chang Dai-Chien (Zhang Daqian), May 17 to June 24, 1985
Washington D.C., Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Challenging the Past — The Paintings of Chang Dai-Chien, November 24, 1991 to April 5, 1992
New York, The Asia Society Gallery, Challenging the Past — The Paintings of Chang Dai-Chien, April 29 to July 19, 1992
St. Louis Art Museum, U.S.A., Challenging the Past — The Paintings of Chang Dai-Chien, August 28 to October 25, 1992
Guggenheim Museum, New York, A Century in Crisis — Modernity and Tradition in the Art of Twentieth-Century China, February 6 to May 24, 1998

The Paintings and Calligraphy of Chang Dai-Chien, vol. 5, National Museum of History, Taipei, October 1983, slipcase cover and pl. 81
The Art of Chang Da-chien, Singapore Cultural Foundation, 1984, pl. 81
The Art of Chang Dai-Chien (Zhang Daqian), exhibition cat., Hong Kong Arts Centre, 1985, cover and exhibit 78
Research on Zhang Daqian's Paintings, Master dissertation by Ba Dong, Fine Arts Research Institute, National Taiwan Normal University, May 1987, p.190
Twentieth-Century Chinese Painting, edited by Mayching Kao, Oxford University Press, September 22, 1988, cover and p.22
Chinese Painting by Chang Da-chien, Art Book Co. Ltd., Taipei, October 1988, pl.52
Paintings by Zhang Daqian, edited by Lin Jiantong, Tai Tung Printing Company Limited, Hong Kong, 1990, cover
Challenging the Past — The Paintings of Chang Dai-Chien, written by Fu Shen, Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, 1991, pl.85
Paintings and Calligraphy Works of Zhang Daqian, vol. 1, People's Fine Arts Publishing House, 1991, pl. 166
Chang Dai-chien: Challenging the Past, Hsiung Shih Art Monthly, issue 250, written by Fu Shen, Hsiung Shih Publishing House, Taipei, December 1991, p.167
Zhang Daqian's Cloud and Mountain in Splashed Ink, Hsiung Shih Publishing House, Taipei, October 1992, p. 150-151
Sotheby's Hong Kong Twenty Years (1973-1993), Sotheby's HK Ltd., Woods Publishing Company, 1993, pl.657
Han Mo 39, Special Study on Zhang Daqian's Landscape Paintings, Han Mo Xuan Publishing Co. Ltd., Hong Kong, April 1993, p.E19
A Master in Chinese Paintings - Chang Dai-chien, Taiwan Mac Group, January 1997, p.120
A Century in Crisis — Modernity and Tradition in the Art of Twentieth Century China, Guggenheim Museum, New York, 1998, pl.178
The World of Chang Dai-chien, written by Fu Shen, Shi Jr Tang Press Co. Ltd., Taipei, September 1998, p.27
Centenary Exhibition of Zhang Daqian's Paintings, exhibition guide, China Times Publishing Co., Taipei, September 20, 1998, p.19
Biography and Art of Zhang Daqian, Zhong Guo Wen Zhi Chu Ban She, Beijing, January 1999, colour plate 26

- Generally in good 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."

Zhang Daqian Peach Blossom Spring: 
Property from the Mactaggart Art Collection

The Mactaggart Art Collection was formed by Mr. and Mrs. Sandy and Cécile Mactaggart. The Mactaggarts began collecting Asian art in the early 1960s, with a particular interest in Chinese textiles and paintings. Over a period of forty years, the Mactaggart Art Collection grew to be one of the finest privately held collections of East Asian art in the western world. In 2005 they donated the bulk of their collection, a total of more than 1000 works of Chinese art, to the University of Alberta Museums in Alberta, Canada, their former residence. It was the largest single donation the University had ever received from an individual. Zhang Daqian's Peach Blossom Spring, however, was one of their favourite works and remained in their possession.