Painting depicting a hunting scene under the Yuan (1271-1368 - Lot 276

Painting depicting a hunting scene under the Yuan (1271-1368). Ink and colors on silk, framed. Signatures and stamps of apocryphal Chinese calligraphers. China, Qing dynasty (1644-1911). Inscribed lower left: "Hunting scene under the Yuan (1271-1368)". 款識 :元代圍獵圖. Dimensions: 135.5x72.8 cm (when viewed). (Moisture stains, missing parts, visible folds). The theme of hunting occupies an ancient place in Chinese painting: as early as the engraved stones of the Han (206 BC - 220 AD) and the frescoes of the Tang (618-907) appear scenes of "emperor hunting" or "deer shooting". Under the Yuan dynasty (1271-1368), founded by the Mongols, hunting became a symbol of political power and imperial legitimacy. Hunting paintings thus exalted the sovereign's bravery and celestial destiny. The composition of this work is based on two planes: in the foreground, three Mongolian riders master a tamed deer in a highly dynamic scene. In the background, two other hunters appear behind a monumental boulder, amidst a landscape of mountains and vegetation. The margins of the painting are covered with inscriptions and colophons added at various times, including apocryphal signatures of famous Ming dynasty (1368-1644) calligraphers such as Zhu Yunming 祝允明 (1460-1527) and Wang Shizhen 王世貞 (1526-1590), who attributed the work to the Song period (960-1276). However, the assemblage of heterogeneous elements indicates that it is in fact a late revival from the Qing period (1644-1911). In China, the reproduction of ancient masterpieces was long perceived not as an imitation, but as a scholarly tribute to the masters of the past - an expression of haogu boya 好古博雅 taste, "in love with the antique and refined in knowledge".