Examining Antiquity Watercolor (Bogu-tu) by late Ming Dynasty Master Painter Zhang Zhong (actived in early 17th Century)
Dated "Nineth Month of Ding-chou Year of Chongzhen Reign of Ming Dynasty", i.e. October, 1637
Dimension 37.5 cm X 89 cm
晚明名畫家張翀 (活躍於十七世紀初) 作博古圖水彩畫
Chang Chung was a native of Chiang-ning. He was well-known for his figure paintings, of which he painted in two different styles. The first was in the mode of the ancients, with refined brushwork and delicate colors. The other followed the Ming painter Wu Wei (painting 154), bold and untrammeled. This watercolor shows two scholars wearing Ming Dynasty Tradition Costume (hats and clothes) who are eamining a scroll of a painting of an antiquity. This type of paintings which shows a theme of antiquity is called Bogu-tu which has a very long history in the arts of china which dated back to as early as Song Dynasty (ca 12th century). Besides the scholars, there is a young boy (servant) cleaning other antiques. Its noteworthy that the two scholars are having long nails which were the costume of scholars in ancient China.
張翀 (活躍於十七世紀初)
明代畫家。字子羽，號渾然子、圖南，江都(今江蘇揚州)人，一作江寧 (今江蘇南京)人。工人物，追摹古法，筆墨豪邁。畫仕女，穠纖婉淑之態，萃于毫端，兼以著色古稚，神態擅逸。評者潤能得人物畫之正傳，而又不流于庸俗。畫山水樹石，蒼郁秀潤。寫生雜畫亦佳。傳世作品有祟禎元年 (1628) 作 《鳳雪聯轡》扇面，十年(1637)作《江山秀色》 扇面，現均藏故宮博物院，十六年作《斗酒聽酷圖》軸，藏南京博物院，《侯峒嶒像》軸，藏上海博物館。