In the style of Jiang Tingxi (1669-1732)

Description:

China, Qing dynasty
84 x 51 cm (105 x 71,5 cm R.)
Four quails under ripe millet. Ink and light colors on silk, mounted with passepartout and framed under glass. The artist's signature: "Reverently painted by Underling Jiang Tingxi." Two seals of the artist: "underling" (chen), "Tingxi." Title strip with inscription, dated xinchou (1841 or 1901), signed Wang shi zhen cang, and two collector's seals.
From a North German private collection, collected before 1970
Jiang Tingxi, nicknamed Xigu and Nansha, came from Changshu in Jiangsu Province. He was a high court official, including vice president of the Office of Rites, and court painter under Emperors Kangxi (r. 1662-1722) and Yongzheng (r. 1723-1735). His flower paintings, in a detailed, extremely naturalistic style, were very popular at the imperial court. Most of his works were therefore included in the imperial collection and are now in the colleciton of the National Palace Museum in Taipei. This painting, featuring four quails among ripe millet ears, a symbol of prosperity and a bountiful harvest, is also very finely and naturalistically executed. However, his style is more 19th century - Silk browned, partially wear, a few cracks, partially stained