LOT DETAILS

Materials:

Ink and color on paper

Measurements:

31.10 in. (79.00 cm.) (height) by 10.63 in. (27.00 cm.) (width)

Markings:

Inscribed and dated in Chinese with artist’s seal on upper right, artist’s seal on bottom left

Provenance:

PROVENANCEPrivate collection, AmericaThe Everlasting Melody of LoveAs a gifted artist from an early age, Sun Duoci has been keen in painting. She was recognized and appreciated by Xu Beihong, and later became the adored disciple of the master, inheriting his legacies. She was also honored as one of the six most influential female painters in china. However, the romance between Sun and her teacher has more been a topic than the underlying artistic value of her paintings. The work Double Bliss presented in this auction reveals the artist’s talent in Chinese traditional paintings. In this composition, a pair of magpies stand high on the tree branch. Their vigorous heavy bodies contrast with two slender light twigs. The red leaves pouring from above lay entwined, creating a visual harmony together with the horizontal boughs on the bottom. It is in this composition that a completeness of joy is achieved. Shuangxi was completed during Sun’s travel to America in 1953, which is the same year that Xu Beihong passed away. Nevertheless, the tableau of Double Bliss shows not only how Xu aimed to revolute Chinese painting with brand new techniques of science and realism, but also the artist’s infinite nostalgia and gratefulness towards the defunct.