‘DREAM OF THE RED CHAMBER’, QING DYNASTY, FOUR PAINTINGS China. Ink and watercolors on paper. Each finely painted with a scene from Dream of the Red Chamber, including ladies writing poems about chrysanthemum, Miaoyu and Jia Baoyu listening to Lin Daiyu playing the qin, ladies flying kites, and Shi Xiangyun sleeping on a rock surrounded by lingbi stones and colorful flowers. (4) Inscriptions: One painting center left, inscribed ‘In Autumn of the Year of Jiachen, in the style of the Yuan dynasty, Yuhu shanren Qixiang Gai Qi’. Four seals.

Provenance: UK trade, by repute from an old English estate.
Condition: Good condition with minor wear, soiling, creasing, some colors possibly a bit faded, small losses, some with minor old repairs.

Dimensions: Image size 25 x 29.2 cm (each), Size incl. mounting 32.5 x 39 cm (each)

The present paintings feature scenes from the popular Dream of the Red Chamber (Honglou Meng), considered one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese culture. Composed in the 18th century by Cao Xueqin, Honglou Meng tells the story of the gradual fall of the aristocratic Jia family, who resided at Rongguo House and at Ningguo House, two adjacent compounds in the capital. The intricate strands of its plot depict the rise and decline of a family much like Cao’s own and, by extension, of the dynasty itself. Cao depicts the power of the father over the family, but the novel is intended to be a memorial to the women he knew in his youth: friends, relatives, and servants. At a more profound level, the author explores religious and philosophical questions, and the writing style includes echoes of the plays and novels of the late Ming, as well as poetry from earlier periods.

Auction result comparison: Compare a set of related paintings, dated 19^th-20^th century, also depicting scenes from Dream of the Red Chamber, at Christie’s London, 29 February 2012, lot 630, sold for GBP 3,750.

清代《紅樓夢圖詠》
中國。紙本水墨設色。細膩地描繪了《紅樓夢》人物場景，如詠菊、妙玉與寶玉在門外聼林黛玉撫琴、放風箏以及憨湘雲醉眠芍藥裀。 (4)

款識：其中一幅畫上可見“時在甲辰孟秋仿元人筆意 玉壺山人七薌改琦”
鈴印：四枚

來源：英國古玩市場，據説來自英國私人收藏。
品相：狀況良好，有輕微磨損、汙漬、摺痕，有些微褪色，少量缺損，有輕微的修補。

尺寸：畫面各25 x 29.2厘米，總共各32.5 x 39厘米

拍賣結果比較：比較一組十九至二十世紀的《紅樓夢》場景繪畫，見倫敦佳士得2012年2月29日 lot 630, 售價GBP 3,750。