From a Private Collection in Adelaide阿德萊德私人收藏的中國書畫及晚清瓷雜Lot 55 to 63Yun Shouping (1633-1690)Rabbits and OsmanthusInk and colour on silk, framedInscribed and signed Shouping, with one seal of the artist165.5 x 64.0cm注脚Provenance:Private collection, Sydney, acquired and framed in the 1960sPrivate collection, AdelaideYun Shouping, is one of the six most renowned artists in the early Qing Dynasty. Most celebrated for his bird-and-flowers, and landscapes, it is extremely rare to see furred mammals by Yun. The inscription is a verse from the Epilogues of Paintings by Ouxiang Guan, Ouxiang Guan being the studio name of Yun Shouping. In it the artist discusses the technique of painting, suggesting that one must start by studying the great masters but ultimately perfect one's skills by learning from the 'creator' mother nature. This gives a clue of the artist's journey in creating this painting. To illustrate the inscription, the artist treats the subject of this painting with exquisite attention, especially in the depiction of the three rabbits where each strand of their fur is lined by an extremely fine brush. This technique is called simao fa, literally the method of thread and hair, in traditional Chinese painting. In this painting, the osmanthus is partially depicted, leaving patches of blank canvas, suggesting the haze in the air. This is another technique called liubai, meaning leaving blank, frequently used to imagine water, haze, and cloud, in Chinese paintings. The three rabbits, all eyeing a corner outside the canvas - are they looking at something that is also blocked by the haze? According to Chinese folklore, there is a rabbit living in the moon under an Osmanthus tree. Osmanthus, being an autumn flower, has been heavily featured in Chinese literature and arts depicting the mid-autumn festival. This painting, even without a full moon depicted, thus heavily alludes to the harvest festival. Yun utilises popular symbols associated to the festival, yet purposefully omitting the most conspicuous one, shows the audience what it means to be a master in painting. A painting is not a mere representation of the reality, but a learned and processed image which expresses the most intimate and sensitive core of the artist.惲壽平 三兔向桂 設色絹本 鏡框釋文：寫生之技，即以古人為師，猶未能臻妙。必進而師模造化，庶幾極妍盡態，而為大雅之宗。壽平並題。鈐印：壽平傳承：悉尼私人收藏，上世紀六十年代購於當地，並裝框（框身標有當時裝裱行名帖）阿德萊德私人收藏「寫生之技⋯⋯」此句出於惲壽平《甌香館集補遺畫跋》，乃是畫家對中國畫寫生技法的極好詮釋。其中強調以摹古正宗入手，進而外師造化，以期中得心源。題跋於此〈兔桂〉畫心，讓人管窺畫家對此畫中臨摹寫生的心得。畫中桂樹靈虬成蔭，桂花盛開，部分以留白處理，暗示瀰漫的霧氣，使得畫面增添一層神秘的浪漫。樹下三隻毛色型態各異的兔子，簇擁作一團，憨態可掬。黑、白、灰三色的絨毛，以細筆絲毛法一根根工整勾描，密不容針，卻紋絲不犯，兔子的輪廓被絨毛的導向及輕漫若無的渲染精準表達，躍然紙上。它們或回首、或踮腳，眼睛則以輕柔肯定的線條一筆勾勒，共同注目畫外一角，似乎要透過濃密的桂枝及迷蒙的霧靄，爭睹畫外被阻擋的一物。「兔，吐也。明月之精，視月而生，故曰明視。」在中國傳統文學藝術中，月與兔有著神秘的聯繫。而桂花，又是八月之花，中秋之花。以此畫中妙曼盛開的桂樹及三隻按耐不住的兔子觀之，畫家定是有意留下了胸中的一輪明月而未落實於畫紙。而這輪明月又在桂樹與三兔的強烈影射下，千呼萬喚始出來。畫家如此的處理，意猶未盡，留給讀者無限遐想，足見在「極妍盡態」與「為大雅之宗」之間，乃是一道極難逾越的鴻溝。惲壽平傳世作品中山水、花卉居多，他善畫魚藻，亦作禽鳥、走獸，但極為罕見，偶爾為之，極盡生動之趣。清宮舊藏中有其〈新筍松鼠圖〉一幀，對松鼠絨毛使用的絲毛法與此畫中處理兔毛的筆法如出一轍。