A SET OF FOUR CHINESE IRON PICTURES, TIEHUA

QING DYNASTY

Each depicting flowers to represent the Four Gentlemen among Flowers, with prunus, orchid, chrysanthemum and bamboo, contained in wood frames, 80cm x 28cm. (4)

Provenance: from the collection of Hugh Malcolm (1886-1961) and thence by descent.

The art of tiehua, literally meaning 'iron picture', is traditionally associated with the blacksmith and painter Tang Peng (or Tang Tienchi) who lived in Wuhu Xian during the Kangxi period (1662-1722). Tradition asserts that Tang, aware of being less talented than his famous neighbour painter Xiao Yuncong (1596-1673), decided to create a new art form in which he could express himself. Made from hammered iron sheets, these pictures imitate the compositions and motifs of traditional brush paintings. The contrast of the iron designs painted black and hung on the white wall of a scholar's studio is a direct reference to the paintings on silk.

Chinese iron pictures have made their way into major museums around the world and can be seen in the permanent collections of Chinese art at the British Museum, the Musée Guimet and the Philadelphia Museum of Art.