The Property of a Lady 女士藏品 AFTER QIU YING (1494-1552), 19th century Birthday Celebration Handscroll, ink and colour on silk, bearing signature and seals of Qiu Ying, perspex case. 31cm (12 1/4in) high x 396cm (155 7/8in) long. (2). 注脚 仇英（款） 瑤池吉慶圖 絹本設色 手卷裝裱 Provenance: Max Morris (1910-2017), acquired in China in 1957, and thence by descent 來源：Max Morris（1910-2017）舊藏，於1957年購自中國，並由後人保存迄今 Max Morris was born in London's East End to Russian immigrant parents. In his youth, he began working in his family's shoe business, P.Morris & Sons based in Shoreditch High Street. He served in the RAF during World War Two, as a French interpreter for air support crews in France, reaching the rank of sergeant. In August 1957, Morris was part of a small trade delegation to China with the aim of fostering better understanding and trade between China and the UK. During this time, he visited some artists' studios and acquired paintings, some of which were later exhibited at the Herbert Art Gallery and Museum, Coventry. In the 1980s he taught English at Toynbee Hall to primarily immigrants and was an active patron of the arts and charities. Two days before his 106th birthday he was awarded the British Citizen Award for his charitable work in a ceremony at the House of Lords on 7 July 2016. Qiu Ying 仇英 (c.1494-1552), also known as Shifu 實父, pseudonym Shizhou 十洲, was a famous professional painter based in Suzhou, known for his 'green and blue landscape' style. Although he was not of the scholar-gentry class, his talent allowed him to be invited by many important collectors to make copies and repairs. In this way, he had access to some of the great paintings of the time and learnt to mix the classical style of Song and Yuan painters. Eventually, by sheer talent, he was regarded as one of the Four Masters of the Wu School. For a longer discussion about Qiu Ying and an example of his landscape style, see Z.Hongxing, Masterpieces of Chinese Painting 700-1900, London, 2013, pp.260-261. He was highly regarded and popular within his own lifetime and his signature was used on many paintings sold by his studio. His daughter, Qiu Zhu (仇珠), and son-in-law, You Qiu (尤求), followed him into a career in painting. Qiu Zhu's style is delicate and beautifully refined, while You Qiu also inherited his father-in-law's manner.