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Hi does anyone know about this artist Wu Chen. The seal mark may or may not be Wu Zhen or Wu Chen not sure how to read it properly.

It depends on the romanization system that you are using. If you use pinyin, which is a PRC system that is now pretty dominant, it's "Zhen". If you instead use Wade-Giles romanization, which is still used in Taiwan and used to be the dominant romanization, it's "Chen". This painter is different from the Yuan painter Wu Zhen, whose given name uses a different character.

Hi Rat, thanks for having a look. It is pronounced Chen not Zhen and it is not Yuan dynasty from the year unfortunately. I think this album is about Southern school painting from Songjian district near Shanghai in the Ming dynasty. Here is one by Chen Jiru. Also on gold paper, taken from a small scroll now mounted in the album. Not in good condition. Rat do you think it looks authentic or a latter replica?

would have to look up some Chen Jiru paintings to compare, but offhand the calligraphy of this picture looks better than the painting. I realize Chen was better known as a calligrapher, but the thin branch that moves from the bottom toward the left corner looks doesn't have the strength in the line that I would expect to see, and the blossoms look rather casually done. So I'd assume this is a copy at best. Let me see if I have any good images of his at home.

I've been poking around a bit but haven't come up with a painting by Chen Jiru other than a landscape in the Shanghai Museum that doesn't compare very closely with these plum blossoms. He's known almost exclusively for his calligraphy and close friendship with Dong Qichang, not for paintings. will keep looking. I think this is not by Chen though. When I get a minute I'll look for Wu Zhen too.

given Wu Zhen's period of activity, the date here corresponds with 1617, but I don't know his work well enough to say much about this particular leaf.

Hi Rat, thanks very much for doing some research on this painting. The calligraphy on it is quite good i do agree, unfortunately it is badly damaged by insects. I think these paintings were taken from hanging scrolls and put together in the 18th century into a album. They are all different sizes and all from different artist except there is 2 by Cehn Jiru. Here is one by Dong Qi Chang.

well I do know Dong Qichang's work somewhat and this is an imitation, not by Dong. the calligraphy is certainly wrong and the painting style is not his. possibly it was an anonymous album leaf to which someone later added the signature.

Hi Rat, Which word on his name do you think looks wrong. I have studied varous painting by Dong and would admit the signature can be different in different painting.
The seals are also not a good guide as none of them seem to use the same seals. this painting has colours similar to eight scenes in Autumn in Shanghai Museum. It may well be a
Qianlong period replica as the album fabric and cover dates to that period. however said these paintings comes from little hanging scrolls as there is still traces of horizontal creases typical of hanging scrolls.

It's not that one or another character is wrong, it's that the signature is not in the handwriting of Dong Qichang. I didn't look at the seal, but C C Reily is the expert on that. It's possible that this is a later copy of a Dong Qichang picture, but Dong never painted buildings of the size shown here, and never that I can remember painted a fence either. Possibly the copyist is embellishing to suit his own taste, but the rocks on the right side also do not look like Dong's work, which would have most likely imbued them with a sense of movement and have more light/dark contrast.

The signature of this piece with the long tail on the Chang is very similar with the signature on the painting shady tree on a summer landscape in the palace museum Taipei. You can see that painting on the national palace museum website and put eh signature side by side. The Rock on the right is also similar to the painting . It has the grass like protrusion on the rock similar to Wen Zhengming style paintings. Anbyway have a look. I am sure Dong painted fences before that seems like a enterance gate to a ming country house.

Hi Rat , I was wondering if the calligraphy on this hanging scroll looks ok for Wen Zheng Ming. I think this is a 19/18th century replica.

I agree with you, it's not by Wen himself.

Hi Rat, this Zen Ming is also from Japanese collection, it comes with a old japanese wood box but was rescrolled in the early 20th century . It has a qianlong seal mark. Goes to show replica existed in the 18th century as well. It doesn't matter if they are of the artist I guess because most of the painting you get at major auction are probably not of the artist but it is hard to prove if they are or not as even paintings from the imperial collection can be replicas.

Hi Rat, I hope the signature is not added later but the album came from a very reliable source and was in the collection of a Japanese museum . It comes with a Japanese wood storage box and the brocade of the album is similar to that of some storage boxes found in the imperial palace in Beijing. Also note the 5 claw dragon on the brocade in the album.

yes but these pictures could have been created at almost any time during the Qing period, whether as imitations or not, and museums often have a bunch of stuff that is wrong or questionable or too minor to hang onto.

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