Three-centuries-old painting to go under hammer in Beijing

Appreciating Spring under Mount, a landscape of serenity and philosophical touch attributed to a 17th-century master painter, will be the highlight of Beijing Rongbao Auctions' spring sales on June 19.

The monochromatic ink painting depicts a hermit who is sitting in a humble cottage, in the depth of mountains, and enjoying the remoteness, with only pine trees, plants, spring and a bridge as company.

The landscape is believed to be a representative work of Zhu Ruoji, better known by his pseudonym Shitao, one of the "four great monk painters of early Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

The painting was once owned by Wang Wenxin, a discerning collector in Shanghai, who built a noted assembly of Ming (1368-1644) and Qing art.

Appreciating Spring under Mount is on show at a sale preview from June 17 to 18.

Some 3,000 paintings, vintage works of art and craft, ancient books, Buddhist statues, decorations are exhibited before going under the hammer in Rongbao's salerooms.

Other highlight lots include Pine in Forest, an ink landscape by Ming painter Dong Qichang, vibrant flower-and-bird genre of classical Chinese paintings by Wang Xuetao, calligraphic works by learned scholar Qi Gong and works by noted oil painters such as Yang Feiyun and Luo Zhongli.