ZHANG DAQIAN (1899-1983)

FAREWELL TO A GOOD FRIEND

A Chinese painting, ink and colour on paper, inscribed and signed Shu Jun Zhang Daqian, presented to Pan Feilu (Penfield), dated the thirty-third year of the Republic Period (1944), with two artist's seals, the reverse with a paper label which has a translation of the inscription: 'James K Penfield (Pan Feilu), who called on me twice at Ta Feng Hall while I was out, as a token for his return to the United States', 76cm x 43cm.

Provenance: formerly in the collection of the late James Kedzie Penfield (1908-2004). Mr Penfield was part of an American diplomatic team which travelled during the 1930s and 1940s. In 1961, he was appointed as the American Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Iceland.

The image of a scholar under a willow tree represents friends saying goodbye. Breaking a willow branch to give to a leaving friend on their departure for a long journey is a custom which can be traced back to the Han dynasty (206 BC-AD 220), and the imagery is frequently used in Chinese literature. The idea is that once the friend has arrived at their destination, they can plant the broken willow branch and it will regrow into a tree at this new place. The Chinese character for the word 'willow tree' is homophonous with the character liu, meaning 'to stay'. Gifting a willow branch is therefore a gesture of asking the departing friend to stay as well as a way of showing how they will be missed and expressing good wishes for the future. This painting by Zhang Daqian (1899-1983) was a gift to his friend the late James Kedzie Penfield (1908-2004) before Mr Penfield's return to the United States from China. Mr Penfield visited Zhang Daqian's studio twice before leaving, but he was out both times and so they were unable to say goodbye in person. With regret and a heavy heart, Zhang Daqian painted this picture depicting himself as a scholar underneath a willow tree as a means of saying farewell and wishing his old friend all the best for the future.