‘CATS AT PLAY’, MING DYNASTY, 1368-1644China, c. 15th-16th century. Ink and watercolors on very fine silk. Exquisitely painted with two cats in a landscape with leafy wild chrysanthemums and grasses, one mischievously grinning as it mounts the other from behind and places one of its paws on the other cat’s head, who shows a rather disgruntled expression. Their mostly white fur is superbly rendered, their bushy tails in black and reddish-brown, respectively.Provenance: The personal collection of Robert Rousset. Thence by descent to Jean-Pierre Rousset. Robert Rousset was a former French radio officer in the merchant navy, who became one of the most prominent pioneers of the Chinese art market in Paris. As a child, his father, an insurance agent, would take him to Hôtel Drouot where he started to buy at a very young age. His true passion for Asian art started in the 1920s, when he was sent on a mission to Beijing after the decline of the Qing empire, along with Osvald Sirén, the famous Swedish Asian art historian and connoisseur. He then became one of the main contributors of Chinese antiques for thepagnie de la Chine et des Indes, founded in Paris in the early 20th century by the Blazy brothers. After the 1929 stock market crash, he had the opportunity to acquire thepany. With his sister Suzanne in charge of the porcelain, they developed the business and became one of the most important dealers in France, selling pieces to the greatest museums, including the Musée Guimet and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. With no children of his own, Robert took his nephew Jean-Pierre (1936-2021) under his wing and began grooming him to eventually take over the gallery. He loved to wander with Jean-Pierre through the gallery's exhibitions and storerooms, telling stories about each piece while cultivating his protégé’s eye. Jean-Pierre was also sent by his uncle to train with the great expert in Asian art and Robert’s close friend, Michel Beurdeley, whose numerous publications are stillmonly referenced today. When Robert passed away, his private collection was divided between Jean-Pierre and his sister, Anne-Marie, whose part was sold with great success after her death in 2019.Condition: Good condition with some wear, soiling, few tiny losses. The old mounting with small chips to edges, wear and traces of use.Dimensions: Image size 32.6 x 25 cm, Size incl. mounting 43.7 x 49.5 cmThe ancient Chinese referred to cats as ‘li-nu’, which means a wild cat that has been tamed and domesticated. Since antiquity, cats have been employed by people in their familiar roles as pets and mouse catchers, but they sometimes have also served as models for artists, leaping into the world of art for all to see.Throughout much of its history, China has been an agricultural-based country, planting and raising grains and animals. Although the cat does not traditionally figure as one of these animals, The Book of Rites, writ