D'APRÈS SONG HUIZONG (1082-1135)Faucon AFTER SONG HUIZONG (1082-1135 AD) Falcon Ink and pigment on silk, inscription, apocryphal Yushu seal and signature of the artist, glazed and framed. 146cm (57 1/2in) high x 70cm (27 1/2in) wide. Provenance: Robert Rousset, Paris (1901-1981), acquired prior to 1935; the painting is shown in a photograph at Robert Rousset's Paris apartment, circa 1950s Jean-Pierre Rousset, Paris (1936-2021) The most artistically talented emperor in Chinese history, Emperor Huizong of the Song dynasty (1082-1135), had the great misfortune to be ruling at a time of great turmoil and decline – much of it due to forces beyond his control. In 1126 the Jurchen-led Jin dynasty invaded the Song realm and captured the capital Kaifeng, marking the end of the Northern Song dynasty. Huizong and his Court were taken captive and sent north to Manchuria. He was further humiliated by the Jurchen who gave the former emperor a new title - Duke Hunde (literally 'Besotted Duke'). He died a broken man after nine years in captivity at the age of 52. His sad life is held as a warning to the dangers of neglecting government at the cost of art, and even the thin, spidery form of calligraphy he invented - 'slender gold' calligraphy – is seen as superfluous and decedent, unsuitable for upright leaders to emulate. His contribution to the arts, however, is unparalleled: he established a painting academy, created a huge collection of art, and invested much time and money into gardens, tea ceremony, poetry, painting, calligraphy and music. In Emperor Huizong's second year on the throne (1101), the censor Jiang Gongwang submitted a memorial saying he had heard a rumour that someone had entered the Rear Garden of the palace with a falcon: 'The other day I, your subject, heard a rumour on the street that some high-ranking men including one named Jia entered the Rear Garden with falcons on their shoulders to hunt birds. This I could not believe... How could a ruler who is benevolent busy himself with going hunting? How could anyone devoted to the dynastic ancestors have the leisure to pursue the pleasure of hunting '. The censor claimed not to believe the rumour, but he still went on at length on the reasons Emperor Huizong should not involve himself with anything as cruel and dangerous as hunting. If the emperor did ever go hunting, no record of it has been preserved; see P.Ebrey, Emperor Huizong , London, 2014, p.301. 宋徽宗（款）鷹 設色絹本 鏡框 來源： 巴黎Robert Rousset（1901-1981）舊藏，於1935年前入藏；約二十世紀五十年代攝於其公寓照片中可見 巴黎Jean-Pierre Rousset（1936-2021）舊藏