Deep Fragrance in the Valley of the Void

Chen Chun was regarded by many as the Ming dynasty’s best classic flower painter, but he was also a landscape painter and leading calligrapher. He is best known for his virtuoso ink flower studies. Chen stamped this painting with the signature seal “Daofu, ” an alternate name, placing it after both the painting’s title and the same name written in the right corner.  The work also bears three collector’s seals  of the Qianlong emperor (reign 1736–95)—— one placed beside his signature and the other two positioned on either side of the fan. The inscription on the paper mount, from 1783, is by Pu Quan, a cousin of Puyi, the last emperor of China. It reads: Chen Chun’s expressionistic flower paintings created a unique style, the patriarch of flower paintings in the Ming. His brushwork is sparing and graceful, succinct in form and rich in content; Its meaning goes beyond the imagery, these are true masterpieces.