A catalogue of Chinese paintings from the Reyes Collection by Shelagh Vainker (published Oxford, 1996).
Xu Lele is a figure painter who takes her subjects from popular literature. These two paintings depict the fox fairy, subject of a Tang dynasty short story about a beautiful young seductress who is actually a fox fairy in disguise. Having found a faithful lover, the fox fairy is eventually torn apart by hounds. In the Qing period, the fox fairy remained a major subject of love stories, such as those in Strange Tales of a Scholar’s Studio.
This painting and its pair [EA1995.269] are unusual in that they have been framed in pencil, and the calligraphy and seals lie outside the main composition. They are painted on gold-flecked paper, which has been used for many centuries.
Oxford: Ashmolean Museum, 24 September-1 December 1996, Modern Chinese Paintings: The Reyes Collection in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, Vainker, Shelagh (Oxford: Ashmolean Museum, 1996), no. 105B on p. 78, p. 9, illus. p. 78 fig. 105b
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