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Hello
I have a scroll measuring 5ft 6in x 1ft 10in (168cm x 56cm) total length, it appears to be painted on silk, and to have ceramic ends on the bottom rail. I have attached a few photographs, one of the signature, which also appears to be replicated on the outside of the rolled up scroll. If anyone is able to give me any information about its origin, year of painting and the artist I would be extremely grateful. I have some other pictures of the detail which I will try to upload as well. Thank you for your assistance.
Geraldine

Inscription and title "茶花㕠雀" Two sparrows over a camellia
The signature is "蘭若"

So the painter is 王兰若(1911-2015), the seal (has the same characters as the signature: 蘭若) is the same as in this painting for example http://upload.art.ifeng.com/2015/0714/1436874054276.jpg

The painter seems to be specialized in a more spontaneus brushwork and not in gongbi like your painting. I couldnt find any other camellia painting by him.

Bye





URL Title :王兰若(1911-2015)

Could the artist be someone other than Wang Lanruo? As you point out, Wang's painting and calligraphy styles are both different from Geraldine's picture, though the scroll you illustrated is imitating Wang Xuetao (right down to the signature) so perhaps that distorts the differences from Wang's personal style somewhat. Here is another of his pictures: http://img1.artron.net/artist/A0005711/brt000571100144.jpg). Geraldine's seems a straight contemporary decorative Song-style bird and flower picture. (Also the poor quality of the transfer (the pattern badly overlaps) shown on the roller end isn't consistent with the works of a relatively well-known modern artist such as Wang, who would have used better materials.)

Unfortunately I don't see who the alternate painter might be, I suspect someone less well known than Wang. (It's also possible that Lan is being used as a surname here)

The second painting in this post is actually a work by Wang Xuetao.
The first painting is likely a tribute to him. I found this link to the obituary on Wang Lanruo,
http://art.ifeng.com/2015/0714/2106719.shtml
google translate helps for me. As F.Mina found
Wang did not work in fine detail style. It is
more likely that a signature of Wang Lanruo on
painting was an attempt to add value to a forgery. the second painting shows a seal from
Wang Xuetaho. The image shows its match.

Nice catch, though it's a bit bizarre that an article on the passing of Wang Lanruo includes a Wang Xuetao painting being called "Bamboo and Rock by Wang Lanruo". (Before seeing the article I had assumed that F. Mina had found a copy by Lanruo of a Xuetao work.) Sloppy article editing? The article doesn't seem to mention Wang Xuetao at all.

Rat,

as always, perfect!

Thank you so much for your answers regarding the scroll. I have uploaded some more photographs with some detail. As you both said the style of both painters is completely different, and the calligraphy also. I purchased the picture probably about 15 years ago, and it looks quite old, but I realise looks can be deceiving, I know nothing about Chinese art, but thought that it is quite conservative in its approach, and I felt it to be older rather than a modern approach (I have two paintings by two other artists which are much fresher and freer. Also since you gave me the title of the painting, I have looked on google re sparrows and camellia paintings, from what I can see these birds do not look anything like other sparrows painted by Chinese artists. Thank you for your help, any other information you can give is really appreciated.

For you to research:

Two broad styles of Chinese painting.

1. XieYi 寫意 , literally "writing the idea",

2. GongBi 工筆, literally "exquisite brush".

Your birds and flowers are typical of the GongBi style while the bamboo painting is approaching the other style. XieYi is actually even more free in interpretation.

Thank you for that, I have looked up both styles of painting, both can be so beautiful, but I possibly lean toward preferring the XieYi style. I have another couple of paintings in this style, one by Wang Weibao and another by Jiahua Wu. But I also like my very contrived stone rubbings, some of which I find very beautiful. I do love the scroll that I have shown though particularly because of the detail!
Thank you for your help.

The first dozen or so album leaf pictures illustrated here point to the style your picture is emulating--bird and flower paintings from the Song dynasty:
https://www.google.com/search?q=%E5%AE%8B%E8%8A%B1%E9%B8%9F&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjypsna-qvUAhXMVj4KHRTJBRMQ_AUICigB&biw=1366&bih=638#imgrc=_

The label on your picture gives only 蘭若 Lan Ruo as the artist's name, so it's likely that Lan is the artist's surname and Ruo the given name (or nickname), rather than Lanruo being a given name that refers to Wang Lanruo as initially suggested. But a Google search on those characters returns only works by Wang Lanruo, since he is a known painter; I suspect your artist is too minor to have much of an online presence.

Thank you for the translation of the artists name, do you think it is worth doing another post to see if anyone knows the name, or is he/she so obscure no-one would know? I would be interested to know when the painting might have been made.
Sorry I haven't replied before but have been busy and time has just run on so quickly! But I am so grateful for the replies I have received so far. I have checked out the reference from mikeoz to GongBi, and also XieYi styles of painting, which helps to understand more.

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