A Pair of Doves (竹石鵓鴿圖)

"A Pair of Doves" formerly "Birds and Bamboo", attributed to Yi Yuanji (active 1060s). The painting depicts two spotted doves (Streptopelia chinensis ) amid sprays of soft bamboo with a pile of rocks from which grows a small stunted tree. The time of year is most likely autumn or early winter. The signature of Yi Yuanji, 易元吉, is found on the face of the rock- "Yi Yuanji of Changsha (長沙易元吉)." The painting also has two seals which cannot be deciphered and one of the Su Family, famous collectors in the Song Dynasty, and reads Su Zhai (su library). The birds are possibly a later addition. Formerly in the collection of John Calvin Ferguson (1866 - 1945 CE).