Under the Shade of the Parasol Tree《桐荫清暑图轴》

Ren Yi (1840–1896)
Ren Yi, courtesy name Bonian and pseudonym Xiaolou, was from Shaoxing, Zhejiang. From a young age, he learned portrait painting from his father and later studied with Ren Xiong and Ren Xun. He lived in Shanghai and made a living by selling paintings. Ren Yi was proficient in various painting techniques, including landscapes, flowers, birds, and figures. He inherited the straightforward style of folk painting and integrated the strengths of artists such as Chen Hongshou, Chen Chun, Xu Wei, Yun Shouping, Hua Yan, Ren Xiong, and Ren Xun, while also incorporating Western sketching and coloring techniques. This resulted in a unique painting style characterized by simplicity, clarity, and vividness, appealing to both refined and popular tastes and reflecting a distinct contemporary flavor. Ren Yi, along with Ren Xiong, Ren Xun, and Ren Yu, were collectively known as the “Four Rens of Shanghai,” significantly influencing later generations of painters.

“Under the Shade of the Parasol Tree” (1885)
This painting features smooth lines and swift brushwork, using his typical decorative “nail-head and rat-tail” strokes to express the figure’s detached demeanor through their eyes and posture. It is considered a representative work of Ren Bonian’s figure paintings. The inscription reads: “Under the Shade of the Parasol Tree, summer of the Yiyou year of the Guangxu reign (1885), by Ren Yi from Shanyin.” Below the inscription is a white seal with “Ren Bonian,” and at the lower left of the painting is a red seal with “Yinxin Stone.” Additionally, the lower left corner of the painting bears a red seal with “Fu Zhai Zhen Shang” as a collector’s mark.

伊秉绶（1754—1815），字组似，号墨卿，福建宁化人。乾隆五十四年（1789）进士，官惠州、扬州知府。在任期间，以“廉吏善政”著称。扬州人为仰慕其遗德，在当地“三贤祠”（祀欧阳修、苏轼、王士祯三人之祠）中并祀伊秉绶，改称“四贤祠”。

伊秉绶的隶书从汉碑中摄取神理，融合了《郙阁颂》《张迁碑》《衡方碑》等汉隶名碑的长处，又旁参当时名家，用篆书的笔法来写隶书，形成了自己庄严而不刻板，凝重而有韵致，夸张而合情理的隶书风格。他的大字极为精彩，梁章钜对之有“愈大愈壮”之评。此隶书联，用笔劲健沉着，结体宽博，格调高古，给人以方整严谨的装饰美感。释文：用清自和畅，所尚多古欢。