Lot 140: Qing/Ming Chinese scroll painting, 3 Dao Gods, by Wang Wenwei

Chinese scroll painting, by Wang Wenwei Qing/Ming dynasty, 17th c(?)Painting: 48 x 24 inches = 120 cm x 60 cm. Scroll: 52 x 26 inches = 130 cm x 65 cm. Frame: 50.5 x 31 inches = 126 cm x 77.5 cm. Provenance: from New York collector, before 1950s. Relined in 20th century and framed in 1950s in New York, USA. Age: Exact age is unknown, but the silk is old and there is a high probability of being painted in 17th century. Shipping:1) Could be shipped in a big box as a framed flat painting (more expensive, but safer for the painting)2) Could be shipped in a small tube as scroll (less expensive, but painting will have to be rolled). Evaluation by Dr. Q________ C________, PhD in Chinese Art History, MA in Chinese Buddhist Archeology: Painting of Offering Birthday Congratulations by Wang Wenwei ca. 17th century Late Ming (1368-1644) to early Qing (1644-1911) period Inscription: Offering Birthday Congratulations Painting of Offering Birthday Congratulations By Wang Wenwei Ca. 17th century. Late Ming (1368-1644) to early Qing (1644-1911) period. Inscription: Offering Birthday Congratulations to the elder Kong Tairong Wang Wenwei of JintangChang Qing notes: I do not know who is Kong Tairong, probably a friend of the artist. Jintang is the hometown of the artist, probably located in present-day Zhejiang Province.The artist used fine line drawing style to paint the Three Gods of Daoism, Fu, Lu and Shou, together with five children. This is a traditional popular motif of Chinese painting. Fu, meaning blessing, is represented by the middle age man seated in the middle together with three children. In the mind of Chinese, having more children is a blessing from the heavenly god. Lu, meaning salary and position, is represented by the middle age man seated in the upper section, who wears a uniform of officials from the Ming dynasty. High salary and position are the goals of mens study and hard works. The old age man in the lower section is the god of Shou, meaning Longevity. The deer beside the Shou also symbolizes Lu, salary and position, since deer in Chinese also pronounce Lu. Actually the Three Gods represent the good fortunes and wishes of Chinese.
Condition Silk painting is old, insignificant creases and loss of paint. Relined in 20th century and framed in 1950s in New York, USA. Good preserved condition, because the last 60 years the painting was kept under glass. The last 3 images shows microscopy of the silk under x50 magnification.
Low Estimate: 100000;
High Estimate: 300000;
Original: Yes