Two remarkable sets of Imperial Chinese bird paintings, commissioned by Emperor Kangxi (1661-1722), have been discovered in UK homes in Dorset and South London. The artworks, originally part of an encyclopaedic series by court artist and minister Jiang Tingxi, are now set to be publicly exhibited and auctioned at Roseberys, with a combined estimated value of up to £900,000. The paintings were discovered by Bill Forrest, Head of Chinese, Japanese & South East Asian Art at Roseberys Auctioneers, during a routine valuation in South London. This initial discovery of seven works led to the revelation of a further twelve paintings in Dorset, both belonging to descendants of Major Iain Menzies (1895-1979), who likely acquired them after the First World War. Remarkably, upon removing the paintings from their frames, it was discovered that all retain their original accompanying text, a rarity that significantly enhances their historical value. 
 
Jiang Tingxi (1669-1732), An Imperial Manual of Birds, a set of twelve album leaves, ink and colour on silk Estimate: £300,000-£500,000
Jiang Tingxi (1669-1732), An Imperial Manual of Birds, a set of twelve album leaves, ink and colour on silk Estimate: £300,000-£500,000
 
The paintings will be publicly exhibited for the first time at the Hong Kong International Antiques Fair in May before being offered in Roseberys’ Chinese, Japanese & South East Asian Art auctions on May 13 and 14. They will be presented in two lots of seven and twelve paintings, with estimates of £200,000-£400,000 and £300,000-£500,000, respectively.
 
Blyth's Tragopan with text overleaf and artist's signature, from set of seven album leaves, ink and colour on silk

Blyth's Tragopan with text overleaf and artist's signature, from set of seven album leaves, ink and colour on silk

Major Iain Menzies during the First World War

Major Iain Menzies during the First World War

They were acquired by Major Iain Menzies after the First World War and hung in his home, Tadley Court during the 1950s, before moving to Cannon Hall in 1964. Menzies joined the Coldstream Guards in 1914 and was recruited from the Special Reserve to serve in France during World War I with the Brigade Machine-Gun Company. He resigned with the rank of Lieutenant in 1919. He was the brother of Major Stewart Menzies, former Head of Special Operations Executive, a British espionage outfit formed in 1940 to combat German forces. 
Major Iain Menzies

Major Iain Menzies

Emperor Kangxi commissioned court artist Jiang Tingxi to produce an encyclopaedic album depicting 360 birds alongside a textual description of each, likely completed in 1721. They were produced in 12 volumes of 30 paintings and were bound together as albums, with corresponding text on the opposing page.  Some of the birds depicted are not referenced in classical Chinese or early modern European ornithological texts. They are vital records of China’s natural history and Qing-era expansionist ambitions - Kangxi had conquered Taiwan in 1687, Mongolia in 1697, and was working to draw Tibet more closely under Qing control. The geographical distribution of the birds depicted reflects this. 
Silver Pheasant, from set of twelve album leaves, ink and colour on silk

Silver Pheasant, from set of twelve album leaves, ink and colour on silk 

"This discovery is truly extraordinary. Only a handful of these paintings have surfaced in recent decades, usually as single works or in small groups. Finding nineteen at once, especially with their original texts intact, is unprecedented. It is an enormous privilege to exhibit them in Hong Kong ahead of Roseberys’ auction in May," said Bill Forrest, Director and Head of Chinese, Japanese & South East Asian Art at Roseberys. 

The anonymous sellers, who had displayed the paintings as family heirlooms for decades, were astonished by their significance and commented, “I remember seeing them hanging in Tadley Court and later Cannon Hall. I thought they were visually striking but had no idea of their historical importance or value”.

 
Three of the paintings hanging in Cannon Hall, former home of Iain Menzies

Three of the paintings hanging in Cannon Hall, former home of Iain Menzies

Birds have long been a central motif in Chinese art, dating back to the tenth-century rise of the “bird and flower” painting tradition. Jiang Tingxi was particularly celebrated for his bird and flower paintings. Through his interactions with Western missionaries at court, he acquired European painting techniques. As a result, his works uniquely combined the "boneless" (mogu) style, characteristic of the Changzhou School, with Western techniques, emphasising painting with colour and ink without visible contour lines, perspectival accuracy and chiaroscuro. This fusion gave rise to the so-called "Jiang School" of bird and flower painting.
 
An Imperial Manual of Birds with text, a set of twelve album leaves, ink and colour on silk

An Imperial Manual of Birds with text, a set of twelve album leaves, ink and colour on silk

 

Chinese, Japanese & South East Asian Art at Roseberys: Tuesday 13 May & Wednesday 14 May
 

清宫遗珍：蒋廷锡《鸟谱》于英国发现

 

由康熙皇帝 (1661-1722) 委託製作，傑出的中國宮廷大型花鸟图谱，日前在英國多塞特郡 (Dorset) 和倫敦南部的民宅中被發現。這些畫作为清代詞臣畫家蔣廷錫绘製的《鳥譜》中的一部分，現將在Roseberys拍卖行公開展出和拍賣，總估價高達80萬英鎊。

 

這些畫作是由Roseberys拍賣行的中國、日本及東南亞藝術部門主管 Bill Forrest 在倫敦南部的一次例行估值行程中發現的。最初發現了七幅畫作，後又在多塞特郡發現了另外十二幅，這十九幅畫作都屬於Iain Menzies少校 (1895-1979) 的後人，該家族很可能是在第一次世界大戰後購得了這些畫作。值得注意的是，將畫作們從畫框中取出後，發現所有畫作都保留了原本的附文，極大的提升了畫作的歷史價值。

 

這批畫作將在五月的香港國際古玩展中首次公開露面，然後在五月十三日及十四日舉行的Roseberys中國、日本及東南亞藝術拍賣會上進行拍賣銷售。這些作品將被分為兩組，每組七幅和十二幅，估價分別為20萬至40萬英鎊和30萬至50萬英鎊。

 

這些畫作在第一次世界大戰後被Iain Menzies少校購得，並在1950年代懸掛於他的家Tadley Court中，之後於1964年移至Cannon Hall。lain Menzies少校於1914年加入冷流衛隊 (Coldstream Guards)，並在第一次世界大戰期間從特別後備軍隊 (Special Reserve) 招募到旅機槍連 (Brigade Machine-Gun Company) 在法國服役。他於1919年以中尉軍銜離任。他是Stewart Menzies 少校的兄弟，Stewart Menzies少校是特別行動執行部的前主管，特別行動執行部是1940年為了對抗德國軍隊而成立的英國間諜組織。

 

康熙皇帝旨令蔣廷錫製作了一系列大型鳥類畫冊，共12冊，每冊30幅，共計360幅，每幅附有相關鳥類的文字說明，可能於1721年完成。其中描繪的一些鳥類在中國古代及歐洲早期的鳥類學書籍中都未曾提及。它們不僅是驚人的藝術成就，也是中國自然歷史和清朝擴張進程的重要記錄——康熙在1687年征服了台灣，1697 年征服了蒙古，並將西藏更緊密地納入清朝的統治之下。 所描繪的鳥類的地理分佈側面反映了這一點。

 

「這一發現非比尋常。近幾十年來，蔣廷錫《鳥譜》只有少量現世，且通常僅以單幅或小數量出現。能夠同時發現十九幅，尤其是原畫作及文本均完好無損，實屬史無前例。能在五月Roseberys拍賣會前在香港展出這些作品，我們深感榮幸。」—— Bill Forrest，Roseberys董事兼中國、日本及東南亞藝術部主管。

 

匿名賣家數十年來一直將這些畫作當作傳家之寶，然而當他們得知這些畫作真正的重要性時，仍感到無比驚訝：「我記得曾在Tadley Court和Cannon Hall看過這些畫作。我覺得它們很有視覺衝擊力，但當時我並不知道它們的歷史重要性或價值。」

 

鳥一直是中國藝術的中心主題，可追溯至 10 世紀崛起的「花鳥」繪畫傳統。康熙時期的詞臣畫家蔣廷錫極擅繪花鳥，並在宮內與西方傳教士的接觸中掌握了一定的西洋畫技巧，故其筆下花鳥兼備「常州派」沒骨風格及西洋技法，講求設色施墨不見痕線，透視寫實註重明暗，以獨妙的「蔣派」花鳥畫的「逸趣」格調聞名。