WANG CHEN (1720-1797)
Landscape

Handscroll, ink on paper
36 x 169 cm. (14 ¹⁄₈ x 66 ¹⁄₂ in.)
Entitled, inscribed and signed, with four seals of the artist
Dated fourth month, renzi year (1792)
Dedicated to Qingxi
One collector’s seal
Colophon entitled, inscirbed and signed, with three seals of the artist
One collector's seal
Titleslip entitled, inscribed and signed by Lei Kai (1878-1964), with one seal
Dated Summer Solstice, 1931
NOTE: A native of Taicang, Jiangsu province, Wang Chen was reportedly a civil service examination graduate during the Qing Dynasty. For their strict adherence to traditional painting techniques, Wang Chen, along with Wang Jiu, Wang Su, and Wang Yu (1662-1748), were known as the ‘Four Little Wangs’ after the ‘Four Wangs’ painting group.
Lei Kai was an influential figure in Changsha, Hunan province, during the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China. He was accomplished in painting, seal engraving, as well as poetry; along with his brothers Lei Wei and Lei Yue, the three were known as ‘Lei’s Three Heroes’.