Cat and Tiger Lily, 1979|Hanging scroll, ink and color on paper, inscribed by the artist and dated 68th year (1979), and signed Yuan with three seals of the artist Zhang Yuan zhiyin, Daqian Jushi and Moye jingshe. |27 1/8 x 17 3/4in (68.9 x 45.2cm)|張大千 貓趣圖 設色紙本 立軸 1979年作Like his brother, Zhang Shanzi (1882-1940), who is best known for his paintings of tigers, Zhang Daqian was also keen on animal subjects. He often raised animals in his house, from dogs, cats, birds, deer, to more exotic ones like panthers and gibbons, both as his pets and firsthand study works. As one of the most versatile painters in Chinese art history, Zhang Daqian could paint either in xieyi or gongbi style. As for the bird and animal subject, he studied broadly from early Song dynasty's realistic court painting, to later Ming and Qing artists who evolved the xieyi style, such as Chen Chun (1483-1544), Zhu Da (ca. 1626-1705), and Yun Shouping (1633-1690). Here with swift and deft brushwork, the artist successfully conveyed a sleepy yet characteristically feline on the rock, enjoying the blooming of the tiger lily.