Ink and color on paper 73*40 cm

Chen Renxian (1878-1949), born Chen Zengshou and also known by his hao (literary name) Cangqiu, was a native of Hubei province. He famously served as a tutor to Empress Wanrong, the consort of the last Qing emperor. His family once owned a celebrated painting of pines by the Yuan dynasty master Wu Zhen (Wu Zhonggui) titled Old Gnarled Pine(Cangqiu Tu), which was hailed as a masterpiece. Beginning his artistic practice only at the age of forty, Chen focused largely on depicting pines in a style reminiscent of Wu Zhen’s work. He is the author of Cangqiu Pavilion Poetry Collection(Cangqiu Ge Shiji).