IN THE MANNER OF QIU YING (17TH/18TH CENTURY)
An Elegant Gathering
Handscroll, mounted and framed, ink and colour on silk, spurious signature and seal of the artist. 108cm (42 1/2in) long x 31.5cm (12 3/8in) high.
Footnotes:
十七/十八世紀 仿仇英 《雅集圖》手卷 絹本設色 手卷 有框
款識：十洲畫
鈐印：仇英

Qiu Ying 仇英 (c.1494-1552), also known as Shifu 實父, pseudonym Shizhou 十洲, was a famous professional painter based in Suzhou, known for his 'green and blue landscape' style. Although he was not of the scholar-gentry class, his talent allowed him to be invited by many important collectors to make copies and repairs. In this way, he had access to some of the great paintings of the time and learnt to mix the classical style of Song and Yuan painters. Eventually, by sheer talent, he was regarded as one of the Four Masters of the Wu School.

For a longer discussion about Qiu Ying and an example of his landscape style, see Z.Hongxing, Masterpieces of Chinese Painting 700-1900, London, 2013, pp.260-261. He was highly regarded and popular within his own lifetime and his signature was used on many paintings sold by his studio. His daughter, Qiu Zhu (仇珠), and son-in-law, You Qiu (尤求), followed him into a career in painting. Qiu Zhu's style is delicate and beautifully refined, while You Qiu also inherited his father-in-law's manner.

Compare with a related painting after Qiu Ying, 19th century, which was sold at Bonhams London, 2 November 2021, lot 332.

Painting inspected within its glazed frame: some stains and rubbing of the coloured pigments.