Walking with Staffs on a Pine Hill

Maker(s)
Artist: Li Shizhuo 李世倬 (1690-1770)
Historical period(s)
Qing dynasty, ca. 1760
Medium
Ink on paper
Dimensions
H x W (image): 92.9 x 42.3 cm (36 9/16 x 16 5/8 in)
Geography
China
Credit Line
Gift of Arthur M. Sackler
Collection
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
Accession Number
S1987.226
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Painting
Type

Hanging scroll

Keywords
China, mountain, pine tree, Qing dynasty (1644 - 1911), travel
Provenance

To 1963
Richard Bryant Hobart (1885-1963). [1]

1969
Sale, New York, Parke-Bernet Galleries, The Richard Bryant Hobart Collection of Chinese Ceramics & Paintings, Part 2, December 12, 1969, lot 284: “Two Scholars on a Pine Hill.” [2]

To 1987
Arthur M. Sackler (1913-1987), New York. [3]

From 1987
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, gift of Arthur M. Sackler, New York. [4]

Notes:

[1] See object file.

[2] See note 1.

[3] See note 1.

[4] See note 1.

Previous Owner(s) and Custodian(s)

Parke-Bernet Galleries
Richard Bryant Hobart
Dr. Arthur M. Sackler 1913-1987

Label

As a young man, Li Shizhuo served in the local government and also studied painting. One mentor was his uncle, Gao Qipei (1672-1734), an innovative artist; but the traditional scholar-painters Wang Hui (1623-1717) and Wang Yuanqi (1642-1715) influenced him more. They guided Li's development of a style that features elegant, dry brushwork, as seen in Walking with Staffs.

In the 1730s Li served the court in the imperial capital and was sometimes called upon to paint for the emperor. Despite strong favor, he inexplicably left the capital around 1750 and stopped painting for the court. Of this piece, from his retired years, Li wrote that it was inspired by the memory of a fourteenth-century landscape he had once seen. Although he mentions the artist Huang Gongwang, (1259-1364), the work is closer to another master of the same period, Wang Meng. 

Published References
  • Sale Catalogue. New York, December 12, 1969. lot 284, p. 110.
  • Victoria Contag, C.C. Wang. Seals of Chinese Painters and Collectors of the Ming and Ch'ing Periods., rev. ed. with supplement. Hong Kong. p. 655.
Collection Area(s)
Chinese Art
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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