石渠寶笈初編(御書房),下冊,頁1123&*故宮書畫錄(卷八),第四冊,頁78&*故宮書畫圖錄,第六冊,頁277-278&* 沈周(西元一四二七-一五○九年),為江蘇吳縣人,明大吳派繪畫的開創者,畫風影響後世頗大。水墨畫桂花一枝,花葉枝幹穿插有致,墨色深淺搭配亦中規中矩。惟就畫風水準與款題印章,當為晚出臨仿之作。題詩:「一樹黃金粟,秋風春吹晚香。姮娥親折得,贈與少年郎。」古代科舉制度,鄉試是在農曆八月,因此又稱秋闈,八月當令的花是桂花,折桂花相贈,含意是祝福科考高中。明朝人常有此習慣,如本院藏唐寅<嫦娥奔月圖>,題詩:「自是嫦娥愛才子,桂花折與最高枝。」也是引用同一典故。&* Shen Chou went by the style name Ch’i-nan and the sobriquet Shih-t’ien, and he also called himself Pai-shih-weng. A native of Ch’ang-chou, Kiangsu, he was the son of the scholar-artist Shen Heng-chi (1409-1477). His paintings of landscapes, flowers, birds, and fish were all divine. He also excelled at calligraphy and poetry, being known as one of the Four Masters of the Ming. In this painting of branch of cassia blossoms in monochrome ink, flowers and leaves criss-cross, and the lighter and darker tones of ink are regulated throughout. Judging from the style of the painting and the signature, this work appears to be a later copy. In traditional China, the civil service examinations were first held in the countryside in the eighth lunar month, thus becoming known as the “Halls of Autumn” (i.e., “The Gates of Success”). The blossom associated with the eighth month is the cassia, the gift of which to an exam candidate represented a wish for good luck in achieving success. This was common in the Ming dynasty, as seen in the painting “Ch’ang-o Ascending to the Moon” by T’ang Yin (1470-1523), the inscription on which reads, “Ever since, Ch’ang-o was fond of the talented scholar, presenting a branch of cassia for the one with the highest [score].” In that painting, the goddess of the moon appears with the autumn moon and a cassia tree.