An Ink Landscape created for Yongshu’s Birthday (Attributed to Wang Jian by Xu Bangda)《为永叔寿作墨笔山水轴 (徐邦达考为王鉴代笔)》

Wang Shimin (1592–1680)
Originally named Zanyu, with the courtesy name Xunzhi and pseudonyms Yanke and Xilu Laoren, Wang Shimin was born in Taicang, Jiangsu. He came from a distinguished family: his grandfather, Wang Xijue, served as chief minister of the Wanli Cabinet, and his father, Wang Hua, was an editor at the Hanlin Academy. Due to his family’s prominence, Wang Shimin was appointed as Shaoqing at Taichang Temple, earning the title “Wang Fengchang.”

Wang Shimin demonstrated extraordinary artistic talent from a young age, particularly in landscape painting. His well-off upbringing allowed him to study under renowned masters such as Dong Qichang, whose influence greatly shaped his artistic development. He was deeply committed to studying the great works of the Song and Yuan dynasties, dedicating himself to mastering their brushwork and ink techniques. Wang Shimin emerged as the leader of the “Four Wangs” of the early Qing dynasty and became the central figure of the orthodox school of landscape painting, establishing a lasting legacy in Chinese art history.

“An Ink Landscape created for Yongshu’s Birthday (Attributed to Wang Jian by Xu Bangda)” (1665)
This painting, often associated with Wang Shimin, has been the subject of scholarly debate. Xu Bangda, in his Research on Forgeries of Ancient Calligraphy and Painting, suggests that this work may actually be the product of Wang Jian, a respected artist of the same period. Xu’s analysis points to the brushwork, which exhibits characteristics more typical of Wang Jian’s mature style, such as round, smooth strokes and a vigorous, expressive energy. The brushwork is consistent with a 1666 ink landscape by Wang Jian, indicating that the techniques employed in this painting align more closely with those used by Wang Jian in his later years.

Despite this attribution controversy, the work stands as an exceptional example of its genre. The brushstrokes are bold and strong, with a remarkable sense of life and movement. The structure of the characters, arranged in a dynamic, staggered manner, exemplifies a characteristic feature of Wang Jian’s compositions.

The calligraphy inscription, which incorporates the styles of Dong Qichang, Ou Yangxiu, and Yan Zhenqing, is elegant and vigorous, a testament to the calligraphic expertise involved. It does not resemble Wang Shimin’s later calligraphy but instead bears resemblance to the inscription by Wang Zhuan, further supporting the theory of its attribution to Wang Jian.

Provenance and Historical Context
The painting is accompanied by a poem inscription by Wu Dacheng, dated 1896. A postscript by Wu Hufan from 1947 reveals that the piece was once part of the Wu family collection before passing into the hands of Sun Yuwen in Jining, and later to Sun Zubo in Jiading. The scroll bears the collector’s seal of Sun Yuwen, marked “Sun Chican’s authentic work, top grade,” as well as a note from Wang Shaoyan’s collection, linking it to key collectors of the late Qing and early Republic periods.

The painting’s rich provenance, along with its intricate brushwork and calligraphy, ensures its significance as both a work of art and a historical artifact, shedding light on the evolving practices of Chinese painting and calligraphy in the Qing dynasty.

王时敏（1592—1680），字逊之，号烟客、西庐老人，江苏太仓人。祖父为万历内阁首辅王锡爵，父亲王华官至翰林院编修。他以祖荫官至太常寺少卿，人称“王奉常”。擅长山水，富于收藏，精研宋元名迹，深受董其昌影响，摹古不遗余力，为清初“四王”之首，在清代被奉为正统，影响极大。

徐邦达在《古书画伪讹考辨》中已有考证，他认为应为王鉴代笔，云：“此图笔法圆浑，全是王鉴中年面貌。按康熙四年乙巳（1665），王时敏年七十四岁，王鉴年六十八岁（注：王鉴生年学界重新考订为1609年，此时王鉴五十七岁）。旧藏王鉴丙午（1666）所作墨山水矮卷，略仿巨然笔意，其画法即和此轴完全一致，连用的笔也能看出是一样的——如直点上露‘贼毫’等，可为明证。又王时敏用笔虚，王鉴用笔实，二者较易分辨。”言之有据，所论颇为可信。即使该作是王鉴代笔，然笔墨华滋，灵气十足，亦属其精品。另外，款识书法以董意融欧、颜，工致雅健，亦不似王时敏晚年手笔，亦非王鉴笔性，颇似王撰代题。

此轴上部诗堂有吴大澂1896年鉴藏跋。从1947年吴湖帆在左裱边的观跋可知，此画从吴家流出后曾为济宁孙毓汶所得，再归嘉定孙祖勃。诗堂末尾有孙毓汶鉴藏印“孙迟盦审定真迹上品”，上有“仁龢王绍延收藏书画”，因王绍延逝于民初，故他当是在孙毓汶之后、孙祖勃之前的鉴藏者。