PROVENANCE:
Private Collection, Hong Kong
Sotheby's Hong Kong, Autumn Sale 2007, Lot 29

PUBLISHED:
Important Chinese Paintings from the Robert Chang Collection - Works by Qi Baishi , Sotheby's Hong Kong Limited, Hong Kong, 2002, pp.12-13

In the early stage of his career, Qi Baishi sold his paintings for a living and was under heavy influence of the peasants community. This painting carries the style from Qi’s early career with the subject matter being a mythical figure from folk tales. While narrating a folk tale, Qi seemed to be expressing grief from the everyday life in the painting’s inscription.