QI BAISHI (1863-1957), Butterfly and Rock

QI BAISHI (1863-1957)
Butterfly and Rock
Scroll, mounted and framed, ink on paper
12 x 11 5/8 in (30.6 x 29.4 cm.)
Inscribed and signed, with one seal of the artist

Pre-Lot Text
PROPERTY FROM A PRIVATE NEW ENGLAND COLLECTION (LOTS 62-65)

Dr. S. Marsh Tenney (1922-2000) was an accomplished physician, research scientist and educator who reorganized and revitalized Dartmouth Medical School. His fascination with China began in his youth, as his mother owned a collection of “treasures from the Orient” that his grandfather, Stephen Marsh, Iowa's state attorney, received when he defended pro bono Chinese immigrants, who at the time faced discrimination and harassment. At Dartmouth Dr. Tenney furthered his interest and was the only student in the Introductory Chinese class. When it came time to fulfill his military obligations, Dr. Tenney was posted to China and served as the chief medical officer for the Navy from 1947-1949. Joined in Shanghai by his young wife Carolyn, who worked as a nurse in a clinic, Dr. Tenney continued to study Chinese, as well as calligraphy. After a period of intensive study, he began his lifelong collection of Chinese works of art. Particularly drawn to the lively paintings of Qi Baishi, Dr. Tenney during this period purchased examples of the artist’s works from the renowned gallery Rongbao zhai. In his personal memoir “Shanghai Rhapsody: Reminiscences of People and Places 1947-1949,” Dr. Tenney recalled: “I had a fondness for paintings by Ch’i Pai Shih and bought several from the venerable establishment, Pei P’ing Jung Pao Chai. The old man had become the most famous contemporary painter in China (the Picasso of China) and his pupils frequently rendered paintings in his style and to which they affixed his name. It was important in this field too to be certain which was which. My collection of Ch’i Pai Shih has been validated by experts, so that adventured turned out all right….”