'A SPRING OFFERING WITH AN ANCIENT GUI AND A STONE RUBBING OF A MYTHICAL BEAST', BY WU CHANGSHUO (1844-1927) AND ZHU CHENG (1826-1900) China. Ink and watercolors on paper, mounted as a hanging scroll. Superbly painted with a vibrantly colored flower growing from a leafy stem inside an ancient gui bronze vessel above a stone rubbing depicting a legendary bovine animal surrounded by astrological symbols, below a lengthy inscription.

Inscriptions: Center right, 'Qingshan Qiaosu Cheng', and one seal, 'Zhu Cheng Zhi Yin'. Upper left, a text about the rubbing and the legendary animal it depicts, signed 'Changshuo Wu Junqin', and two seals, 'Wu Jun Zhi Yin' and 'Cang Shi'.

Provenance: From a noted private collector.
Condition: Excellent condition with only minor wear and minimal soiling to mounting.

Dimensions: Image size 99.7 x 32.5 cm, Size incl. mounting 181 x 47 cm

Wu Changshuo (1844-1927) was a prominent Chinese painter, calligrapher, and seal artist of the late Qing Period. Initially, he devoted himself to poetry and calligraphy with a strong interest in early scripts. He also led the Xiling Seal Art Society, an academic organization for Hangzhou-based seal artists. Only later did he consider himself a painter associated with the 'Shanghai School'. As a painter, he was noted for helping to rejuvenate the art of painting flowers and birds.

Expert's note: The calligraphy, the gui and the stone rubbing are by Wu Changshuo, whereas the flower is by Zhu Cheng. Artprice, the world-leading art database, has recorded a total of eight other noted artists from the period with whom Zhu Cheng (aka Zhu Menglu) had similar collaborations during his accomplished career.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie's Hong Kong, 27 November 2012, lot 1259
Price: HKD 500,000 or approx. EUR 79,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: Wu Changshuo (1844-1927), Bamboo and Bronze
Expert remark: Compare the closely related motif. Note the smaller size (68.5 x 33.8 cm)



吳昌碩與朱偁款《土缶富貴花圖》
中國，紙本設色，掛軸。牡丹綻放盛開，花朵艷麗，在枝壯葉茂的映襯下顯得風姿綽約。牡丹栽种在一土缶里，下方为缶之拓片。

款識：左上：土缶雖無字，是漢是晉莫能必，然出土與黃龍磚同穴，其古可知。先師藐公嘗顔予齋曰缶廬。予亦珍若璆琳，不肯輕示人，而富貴人皆不以缶為室寳。翔兄命工拓出，補以富貴花，深恐遽有豪攫者，茲特其先兆耳。昌碩吳俊卿。鈴印：吳俊之印；蒼石
右上：青山樵叟偁；鈴印：朱偁之印

來源：知名私人收藏。
品相：品相良好，只有輕微的磨損和裝幀處小污漬。

尺寸：畫面99.7 x 32.5 厘米, 總181 x 47 厘米

專家注釋：書法、缶、拓片以及牡丹花為朱偁合作完成，兩位同爲晚清海派花鳥畫大師。

拍賣結果比較：
形制：非常相近
拍賣：香港佳士得，2012年11月27日，lot 1259
價格：HKD 500,000（相當於今日EUR 79,000）
描述：吳昌碩 (1844-1927)《竹與青銅器》
專家評論：比較非常相近的主題。請注意尺寸較小 (68.5 x 33.8 厘米)。