石渠寶笈續編 (養心殿),第二冊,頁966&故宮書畫錄 (卷四),第二冊,頁76-77&故宮書畫圖錄,第十六冊,頁391-394&錢選(約西元一二三五-一三○七年),浙江吳興人。字舜舉,號玉潭。工詩,善書畫,與趙孟頫同為「吳興八俊」之一。 此圖繪桃枝上結二桃,一松鼠棲伏枝上,欲竊食之。用筆圓勁,細若游絲,設色典雅,松鼠生動天真的情態躍然紙上。&Ch'ien Hsüan (style names Shun-chü and Yüt'an) came from Wu-hsing, Chekiang. He excelled not only in poetry, but also in calligraphy and painting. Together with Chao Meng-fu (1254-1322), Ch'ien was among the "Eight Talents of Wu-hsing." This painting shows a squirrel stealthily making its way along the branch of a peach tree towards the two fruit it has eyed. The brushwork is exceptionally smooth and precise. In particular, the outlines and rendering of the peaches and the leaves were done with strokes as thin as gossamer strands. Colors were also tastefully applied. The peach branch appears quite naturalistic. The squirrel was also vividly rendered in delicate details to suggest fur and in washes to indicate form.&錢選(約西元一二三五-一三0三年尚在),又據學者之論,其卒年不晚於一三0七年。浙江吳興人,字舜舉,別號玉潭、巽峰。因家有習懶齋,又號習懶翁,後為仿他人作偽,又改號霅谿翁。一二六一年宋景定時鄉貢進士,元初,與趙孟頫等人並稱「吳興八俊」。入元,趙孟頫等士皆入朝為官,唯錢選隱而不仕,游居於山水間,流連詩畫,以終其身。工詩,善書畫,喜作折枝花木。創作力求擺脫南宋畫院習尚,其人品和畫品皆稱譽當時。 本幅設色描畫長著肥美果實的桃枝上,一隻松鼠棲伏其間,正欲竊食桃果之景。全圖的重心─松鼠,畫家將其置於枝葉稍疏的枝條上,與葉果搖曳充實的左半畫面,取得視覺上的平衡。松鼠造型樸拙,通身以細勁的筆墨,筆筆絲出,並加以暈染,皮毛的豐茸質感,表露無遺。而濃墨點畫出的腳爪和眼珠,更強調了松鼠專注的神態及動勢。通幅佈局簡約,清麗雅緻,其工筆細勁的筆致,實與宋人花鳥畫是一脈相承的。而畫家以淨勻圓勁的筆墨鉤畫葉片輪廓,再以色彩平塗其上;以及雅淡清簡的用色,再再彰顯了錢選帶有寫意筆調的個人風格,使其成為元代文人畫的先驅者之一。 &Ch'ien Hsuan, a native of Wu-hsing in Chekiang, may have died as late as 1307. A civil service graduate of 1261 under the Sung dynasty, in the early Yuan dynasty he was known along with Chao Meng-fu as one of the Eight Talents of Wu-hsing. Although scholars such as Chao Meng-fu served the Mongols in the Yuan, Ch'ien Hsuan chose reclusion in the countryside, excelling at poetry, calligraphy, and painting. His art looked beyond the lyrical realism of Sung court painting for an elegant evocation of older styles. He thus achieved praise for his character as well as his painting. The focus of this work is on the squirrel stealthily making its way along the branch of a peach tree towards the two fruit it has eyed. The elements are balanced in the horizontal composition here. The simplified yet elegant form of the squirrel has been rendered in delicate brushstrokes combined with washes for a soft and light feeling. The dark ink of the feet and eyes emphasize the position and determination of the squirrel. The simple composition, pure coloring, and fine brushwork all follow in the tradition of Sung dynasty bird-and-flower painting but combined with the lyrical touch of a scholar painter. For the leaves, the artist used outlines in mature brushwork with washes of color added. The light and elegant coloring reflects the personal touch of Ch'ien Hsuan, one of the forerunners of scholar art in the Yuan dynasty.