‘PARAKEET’, BY REN YI (1840-1896)China. Ink and watercolors on fine silk, with a silk brocade frame and mounted as a hanging scroll. Painted in vivid brushstrokes with a blue and gray parakeet perched on a blossoming prunus branch, the face with large eyes looking upwards and a distinct, orange beak.Inscriptions: Bottom right, signed ‘Ren Yi xie’. One seal of the artist. The scroll inscribed to the exterior, ‘Ren Yi, painting of a bird and flower’, and with a label, ‘Guangdong Province. Antique Store. China.’, with inventory number ‘painting 340’, artist name ‘Ren Bonian’, size ‘29 x 29 cm’, and describing the piece as ‘a painting of a bird and flower’.Provenance: Guangdong trade. An Austrian private collection, assembled in the 1970s, acquired from the above. Thence by descent.Condition: Very good condition with minor wear, little soiling, and few creases.Dimensions: Image size 29.6 x 29.6 cm, Size incl. mounting 124 x 38 cmRen Yi (1840-1896), also known as Ren Bonian, was a painter and son of a rice merchant who supplemented his ie by doing portraits. He was born in Zhejiang, but after the death of his father in 1855 moved to Shanghai, where he was exposed to Western thinking. He became a member of the Shanghai School which fused popular and traditional styles. Ren Yi ranked with Ren Xiong, Ren Xun, and Ren Yu as the Four Rens. He was noted for his bold brushstrokes, as seen in the present work, and sparse yet distinct use of color. In his earlier career, his artwork was influenced by Song Dynasty painters, but later on, he favored a freer style influenced by the works of Zhu Da (died 1705), also known as Bada Shenren, a noted late Ming to early Qing painter.Auction resultparison:Type: RelatedAuction: Wooley & Wallis Salisbury, 15 November 2022, lot 398Price: GBP 10,000 or approx.EUR 12,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writingDescription: Parrot and peach blossom, Ren Yi (1840-1896)Expert remark: Note the similar size (25 x 23 cm)Auction resultparison:Type: RelatedAuction: Christie’s Hong Kong, 29 November 2011, lot 2059Price: HKD 87,500 or approx.EUR 14,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writingDescription: Flowers and Birds, Ren Yi (Ren Bonian 1840-1895)Expert remark: Note the only slightly larger size (31.5 x 31.7 cm)任頤(1840-1896)《花鳥》中國，絹本水墨設色，掛軸。筆觸生動，描繪了一隻藍灰色的長尾小鸚鵡棲息在桃樹上。款識：任頤寫；鈴印：頤印