s.l., première moitié du 18e siècle - first half of the 18th century, 96,8 X 24,5 cm or 38.11 x 9.65 assembled on vertical roll 135 X 30,8 cm or 53.15 x 12.13 inches ended with two sticks (1 in bambou) and protected laterally by an line strip.
Ink and painting on paper. Original autograph calligraphy of Zheng Xie who is the most famous of the group of the "eight eccentrics of Yangzhou". Born in Xinghua, Jiangsu Province, Zheng Xie (Kerou ; Banqiao) was a poet, essayist, calligrapher, and painter, and is considered a leading master among the Yangzhou Eccentrics. He usually chose to depict plum blossoms, orchids, bamboo and chrysanthenums. His personal calligraphic style, while drawing on styles of the past, expressed his individual nature. According to Ju-hsi Chou, Zheng was "outspoken strong-willed, pragmatic, contradictory,opinionated, cantankerous, ingenious, gifted, and above all, Confucian "(Chou and Brown, The Elegant Brush, p. 168). Zheng Xie's creation of a price list in 1759 was an eccentric and unprecedented act. For a scholar-artist to speak of money matters was considered vulgar and inelegant. He even posted a price list on jhis door, which concluded with the comments. "Gifts and food are never as wonderful as while silver. Your honorable gifts may not necessarely be favorable to me. If cash is given, I will be truly pleased and my calligraphy and paintings will be excellent; gifts are just a nuisance. Those who buy on credit often don(t pay; I am old and easily tired, and can't engage in unprofitable discussions with everyone" and about bambous he writes "The price of bamboo painting is greater than tat for bambou, A six-foot sheet of paper alone costs 3,000 copper cash; Let someone speak of old times or mention social relationships, and I will simply regard it as the autumn wind blowing past my ear". Our copy is very fine and fresh. There is on the upper left side the signature of the artist (Banqiao) and 2 stamps. Paper uniformly browned with some imperfections inherent to the paper. Cfr. The eccentric painters of Yangzhou, exhibition October 20 - December 15, 1990, China House Gallery, China Institute in America pp. 57 - 60; Nathalie Monnet, Chine l'empire du trait 105 pp. 166 - 167 ; Jung Ying Tsao, Chinese paintings of the Middle Qing Dynasty pp. 91 - 98 .