Chinese school: Een blinde bedelaar met hond, inkt en kleur op zijde, wellicht Ming

168,5 x 104 cm (the frame)
140 x 81 cm (the work)

In an attempt to reconstruct the truncated ink signature, it seems to translate into: 濠梁崔子卥製 or Haoliang Cui Zilu zhi, which translates to: made by Cui Zilu, called Haoliang, likely active as a painter in a workshop of a southern Chinese city.

This genre of figure painting without background, focusing entirely on the precise rendering of bodily form and the sensitive depiction of facial expression, enjoyed great popularity. Such occasionally caricature-like paintings at times also offer a glimpse into marginalized groups within the society of once-prosperous South Chinese cities has been popular from the Song dynasty onwards.

The eccentric old man, clad in a tattered yet colorful patchwork robe, is shown making his way with a blind man’s staff and a begging bowl. The finely detailed depiction of one closed eye and the other only slightly open indicates his blindness, which seems to contrast with his broad smile and cheerful disposition.

Condition:
- Generally well preserved, with a number of minor damages such as small punctures and two tears of ca. 8-12 cm.
- The whole somewhat discoloured.