Collectors of tiger art will like this one — a Chinese scroll painting with genuine charm. Painters never tired of the tiger, and looking at this scroll, neither will you. The details repay attention: speech bubble, pine and rocks, handled in confident, unhurried brushwork.
Confident washes and varied, animated lines give it the rhythm of a brush that never second-guessed itself. Beyond the looks, there is meaning: the orchid stands for refinement and the quiet virtue of the scholar. A deep winter calm runs through it: spare branches, motionless air, the patience of the cold months. It goes up on a single cord and lies flat to the wall, just as hanging scrolls have for centuries. It carries a distinctly scholarly air, the kind that settles a room.
Surround it with quiet, simple pieces and the scroll will hold the space. If you keep a corner for reading or stillness, this scroll was made for it. It is a fine example of speech bubble and pine Chinese painting, the kind of piece that grows on you.
