JIANG KONGYIN (1864-1952)
Seven-character Calligraphic Couplet in Running Script
Scroll, mounted for framing, ink on gold-flecked silk
Each scroll measures 125 x 30.7 cm. (49 ¹⁄₄ x 12 ¹⁄₈ in.)
Inscribed and signed, with five seals of the artist
Dated spring, guiwei year (1943)
Two collector's seals of Jiang Shaoyan

NOTE:
Jiang Kongyin (1864-1952), courtesy name Shaoquan, alias Xiagong, was born in Nanhai, Guangdong (now Guangzhou). Jiang was one of the final civil service examination jinshi in the late Qing Dynasty and entered the Taishi Academy, thus he was also known as Jiang Taishi. Jiang is most well-known by later generations for his status as a gourmet. The recipes in Jiang family are known as "Taishi Recipes", among which the snake feast is the most famous.

This work is from the family collection of Jiang Shaoyan. Jiang was born in Guangdong and was an enthusiast of calligraphy and painting. He assembled a rich collection named Huaiyang Mengbi Zhai during his early years as a businessman.