IN THE STYLE OF EMPEROR HUIZONG (R. 1101-1125)

Description:

China, ca. 18th c.
100 x 34,3 cm
White Eagle. Hanging Scroll, ink and colors on silk. In the upper midst of the painting is written the signature of emperor Huizong: „Imperial brush of the Xuanhe period (1119-1125)“. Four seals of Emperor Huizong: “Imperial seal of the Xuanhe Hall” (Xuanhedian bao), “Seal of calligraphy of the Xuanhe period” (Xuanhe shu bao), “Precious painting by the emperor” (Yu …bao hui) etc. Ten collectors’ seals on the lower part of the painting. At both sides of the painting three colophons are set into the mounting: 1) Inscription on the upper right, signed: “In the first year of the Qianlong period, the bingchen year (1736), Xu Qiu from Beiping (Peking) has written the title slab.” Two seals by him. 2) On the lower right inscription in big characters: “From the precious collection of the victorious general of the great Ming dynasty, An Chu.” Two seals: “Calligraphy and painting of the Yinghong Pavilion” (Yinghongge shuhua …) etc. 3) Long inscription on the left, signed: “Inscribed by Wang Xiaolei from Loudong.” Two seals: “Xiaolei” etc.
From an important private collection in northern Germany, collected mainly in Asia from the early 1950s to the 1980s
The painting shows a white eagle, perhaps from the imperial hunting park of emperor Huizong. In the Song and Yuan dynasties the art of falconry was practiced by the elite and became a popular subject of painting, especially at the imperial court. Later these paintings were imitated very often