WANG JIYUAN (WANG CHI-YUAN, CHINA, 1893-1975)

Wang Jiyuan moved permanently to the US in 1941, where he founded the New York School of Chinese Brushwork. At that time, a member of the family associated with The Belfield Trust Collection, the present owner of this Wang Jiyuan work, taught at that school, and along with Zhang Daqian, was a member of its board of directors. The discerning taste of this family member led her to collect numerous fine works by Zhang Daqian, Pan Yuliang, and Wang Jiyuan during this period. The family of the current owner had a close association with the artist, and on behalf of Wang Jiyuan preserved a number of letters written in the hand of Pan Yuliang herself. The present owner was happy to acquire this work in the 1960s and valued it to the extent that she has kept it in her collection until the present.