(1) signed Shouping, inscribed "Pines, cliffs, clouds, and waterfall. Playfully replicating Wang Shuming's brush idea.", with three seals of the artist, shou ping, zheng shu, nan tian xiao yin  (2) inscribed "Grotto springs sound as if boiling rocks. Frosted trees thrust into clouds. After Zhao Chengzhi.", with two seals of the artist, shou ping yin, zheng shu (3) signed Nantian sheng, inscribed "Zhao Songxue anre Wang Huanghe both painted riverscapes with flowers and fisher-recluses.", with three seals of the artist, yun shou ping yin, zheng shu, nan tian cao yi (4) inscribed "Clouds emerge from mountains and rivers, bringing rain from the sky. After Mi Fuwen's brush idea.", with four seals of the artist, ji yue yun, zheng shu, shou ping, yuan ke (5) inscribed "The islet terminates in the mist. The dense forest obfuscates the moon. Where do the wintry sounds arise? The winds converge in the tall branches. After Li Yingqiu's Wintry Forest.", with two seals of the artist, yuan ke, shou ping zhi yin (6) signed Yunxi Shouping, inscribed "A dense growth of verdant bamboo by the river in the rain. Cold, frosty leaves in winds arising above the trees.",  with four seals of the artist, nan tian xiao yin, zheng shu, nan tian cao yi, shou ping (7) inscribed "Imitating the painting manner of Lu Tianyou of the Yuan dynasty, inspired by the untrammeled character of Ni Youxia.", with two seals of the artist, shou ping zhi yin, dong yuan wai shi (8) signed Dongyuan ke Shouping, inscribed "Old trees and wintry crows. Cao Yunxi painted this. Here I have reproduced it from memory.",  with three seals, nan tian xiao yin, zheng shu, shou ping zhi yin, nan tian Colophons by Zhang Daqian (1899-1983), first one signed Daqian jushi Yuan, dated dingwei (1967), the fifth lunar month, with four seals, ding wei, zhang yuan zhi yin, da qian ju shi, da qian wei yin da nian, second one signed Yuan, with one seal, zhang da qian chang nian da ji you ri li; Pu Ru (1896-1963), signed Pu Ru, with two seals, sheng xin zhai, pu ru; Zhuang Yan (1899-1980), dated yisi, the third day of the third lunar month (April 4, 1965), with three seals, meng an, zhuang yan mu lin chang shou, liu yi weng; Lin Qingni (1914-1970), dated yisi (1965), summer, with two seals, xi he tang, qing ni shu hua; Huang Junbi (1898-1991), signed Huang Junbi, dated wuxu (1958), with two seals, huang jun bi yin, jun wengTitlepage by Na Zhiliang (1908-1998), signed Na Zhiliang, with two seals, na zhi liang yin, xin ru With two collectors' seals of the Chew family, qiu yong he jian shang zhang (8), qiu fu lun cang hua (4)with four other collectors' seals, mian yang zhang shi shou cang jin shi shu hua zhi zhang, kui yi shou cang, xiang xiang zeng shi zhen cang shu hua, jian xian si qi (8, one on the back of each painting)

Album of Yun Nantian's Landscapes, China Commerce Co.

- Paper bears darkened tone due to age. - Restoration of ink loss and paper loss can be found. - Minor surface stain and dirt.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Zhang Daqian's colophon:
Shigu's [Wang Hui] painting is excellent for his skill. Yushan's [Wu Li] painting is excellent for his talent. When it comes to having both skill and talent, Nantian is the only one. I have now seen this album, which is compelling with its ethereal beauty, elegant but nonetheless simple and grounded. How can Wang and Wu compare? [Nantian's] calligraphy takes from the brush manner of Chu Henan and the substance of Huang Yuzhang. He is especially outstanding, excellent even among calligraphers and beyond the dreams of his contemporaries. Fifth month of dingwei (1967), humbly viewed and inscribed by Daqian jushi Yuan.
Nantian with his magical brush soars like an immortal, leaving divine dewdrops that shine beautifully like bright pearls. Himself of the same class as Xu [Xi] and Huang [Quan], he saved the field [of landscape] for Gengyan [Wang Hui]. People of the past said Nantian regarded his own landscapes as inferior to those of Shigu and thus gave them up in favor of floral subjects. I disagree. [Nantian behaved] just as Master Ouyang said, "Give this man the opportunity to shine." From this we see that painters of the past were honorable in their dealings with others. Pu Ru's colophon:
Among painters, Qingmi [Ni Zan] and Yunxi [Cao Zhibai] are known in the world for their untrammeled works. During the Ming Dynasty, Shitian [Shen Zhou] and Huating [Dong Qichang] were both their worthy successors. After them, only Yun Nantian, with the imaginary realm of his brush and its ethereal resonances, was in the company of Qingmi and Huating. At the time, Shigu was known throughout the realm for his landscapes. Master Yun allowed him this singular reputation and focused on painting flowers, leaving behind very few landscapes. This album is miraculous. Whoever comes into possession of it should greatly treasure it.

Zhuang Yan's colophon:
Painters during the Ming and Qing dynasties came to value copying above all else, spending their lives imitating appearances and rarely able to exceed masters of the past. Painting declined tremendously because of this. Nonetheless there were many outstanding individuals who, with their own ingenuity, broke free from the limitations of tradition. Nantian, a commoner without a degree, was one of the champions among them. As a youth, Nantian and Shigu both studied landscape painting under Xilu laoren [Wang Shimin]. Thinking that he could not surpass Shigu, Nantian gave it up and pursued bird-and-flower painting. But the intimate landscapes that he painted occasionally are alike excellent. The present album is superb in brushwork and subtly elegant in color. How is it beneath Gengyan's painting?

Lin Qingni's colophon:
Yun Shouping, hao Dongyuan caoyi, bieshu Yunxi waishi, was skilled at poetry and prose, and his poetry was foremost among the Six Recluses of Piling. He first excelled at landscape painting, in which he strove to revive the past. Then he saw Shigu's work and regarded himself unable to match it. Unwilling to be inferior to him, Yun gave it up and turned to flower painting, adopting Xu Chongsi as his teacher. Still, he painted landscapes from time to time. Here and there, a tree or rock by him has an ethereal magic. The brushwork in this album is especially beautiful and elegant. How could Shiguzi hope to match it?

Huang Junbi's colophon:
In his flower paintings Nantian mostly uses the boneless method, with lively washes and good control of tonality. He fully expresses the miraculousness of nature, and is truly an expert sketcher from life. In his landscape paintings, he mostly imitated Huangheshan qiao [Wang Meng]. They are transcendent and unparalleled, with a truly otherworldly feeling. He is moreover adept at poetic inscription and calligraphy, and was thus known as the "commoner with three perfections," a moniker that he lived up to.