The star lot of the sale is Slave and Lion by Xu Beihong (1895-1953) (estimate on request). A rare work, Slave and Lion is one of the very few so far discovered that dates from the artist's early 1920s stay in Berlin. It exhibits a masterly sense of classical refinement, maturity and depth.
Slave and Lion depicts a story set during the Roman Empire, in which a slave, Androcles, gave aid to a lion whose paw was hurt by a thorn. He later faced the same lion in the cruel games of the Roman amphitheatre. Rather than a bloody battle between man and lion, it turned into a scene of reunion. The Roman emperor, so moved by this touching scene, decided to free Androcles.
Xu's unique style that stems from his solid foundation in sketching technique is best seen in this superb painting. His ability to sketch deftly in both ink and oils has enabled him to create accurate, detailed yet vivid depictions of his subjects even when he was using large brushes.
In this particular work, Xu's unmistakable realistic technique creates a canvas that is magically imbued with the same lively and lyrical ambience as in traditional Chinese painting. Western sense of form and aesthetic elements of Chinese line drawing are seamlessly fused. Furthermore, the work displays Xu's grasp of historical subjects and Western literary references, and so offering a new perspective on the development of the modern Chinese art.
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