Dated 1849, ink and colors on paper, a classic Chinese mountainous landscape that one is suppose to wander through, beginning at the rustic pavilion at lower left, taking the stairs to the right that lead up to mountain huts under blossoming trees, then navigating the clouds that divide the upper mountain area with soft layers, to finally ascend to the soft pillowy mountain top, with an inscription to upper left corner of the painting together with two red artist seals, the lower left and right corner with red collector seals, the painting has an ivory silk mounting, wooden rollers, labeled to the reverse "Dai Xi Sensei Shanshui Zhongtang."

DOA 83 x 24 1/2 in., Painting size 38 3/4 x 19 1/4 in.

Dai Xi was born in Hangzhou to a family of the scholarly elite. Receiving the jinshi degree 1832, he was appointed to the Hanlin Academy. In painting, Dai Xi favored the conservative approach of the Four Wangs of the early Qing dynasty, relying on past masters of the Chinese landscape painting tradition to both inspire and express his fluent understanding of the breadth of the art historical lineage.

Painting itself in good condition; some small tears and loss to silk mounting mainly towards top; foxing to silk mount, mostly to lower portion.

$1,500 - 3,000