Wu Changshuo (1844-1927)


LotusInk and colour on paper, inscribed and signed with two seals of the artist, glazed and framed. 139.5cm (55in) long x 34.5cm (13 1/2in) wide.
|吳昌碩(1844-1927年)　荷花　設色紙本　立軸　Provenance: an English private collection and thence by descent來源：英國私人收藏，並由後人保存迄今Wu Changshuo was a prominent painter, calligrapher and seal carver of the late Qing and early Republican periods. Born into a scholarly family in Huzhou, Zhejiang, he later moved to Suzhou in his twenties. In the final years of the Qing dynasty, he also served as an official in Liaoning. Initially, he devoted himself to poetry and calligraphy with a strong interest in early scripts and led the Xiling Society of Seal Carving, based in Hangzhou. However, it was only later in life that he moved into painting more seriously. His paintings were much inspired by individualist masters such as Xu Wei 徐渭 (1521-1593) and are noted for their bold expressive strokes.Compare with a related painting by Wu Changshuo of red magnolia, of similar size, which was sold at Sotheby's New York, 15 September 2016, lot 855.