Wang Dafan's Painting of a Lady Fan

<p>This porcelain plaque by Wang Dafan, titled "New Bamboo and High Refinement," depicts a lady from the Republic of China era. Created in 1937 (Dingchou Year of the Republic), it is a classic example of the "New Fencai" style by the "Eight Friends of Zhushan." Inspired by the Han Dynasty poem "Yuan Ge Xing" and its imagery of the "Huanhe Fan," the artwork portrays an elegant scene of a lady holding a fan, leaning against a rock formation beside banana plants. The inscription "Xin Huang Gao Ren, Su Xian Ru Shuang Xue" highlights the refined grace of the inner chambers. Painted in 1937, during the early stages of the War of Resistance Against Japan, Wang Dafan employed his signature "Luodi Fencai" technique: the lady's robes are outlined with light ink and softly colored, while her face features the typical Republic-era style of willow-leaf eyebrows and almond-shaped eyes. The background rocks and banana leaves are rendered in shades of cyan, green, ochre, and yellow, blending the elegance of literati painting with folk aesthetics. The signature "Gu Nan Qiao Zi Wang Dafan Xie" along with the seals "Da Fan" and "Wang Kun" confirm this as an authentic piece from his 1930 period.</p>