Lot 43. Master of the Water, Pine and Stone Retreat (B. 1943), Spring Snowmelt to Cool the Studio, ink on cloud-dragon paper, inscribed, signed, and dated 2014 in English, and marked with three seals of the artist; titled and inscribed AK 14-9 on the reverse, 29 1/2  by 21 7/8  in., 75 by 55.5 cm. Estimate 3,000 — 4,000 USD. Lot sold 5,000 USD. Photo: Sotheby's.

Inscription:  Spring Snowmelt to Cool the Studio
High above the painting table the winter snow begins to melt allowing me to grind my ink with pure mountain brook water while the song of the gorge drowns out city.
Inscribed by the Master of the Water, Pine and Stone Retreat in the Spring of 2014.

Note: Born in 1943, Wimbledon, England, the Master of the Water, Pine and Stone Retreat is a brilliant collector, dealer and scholar of Chinese aesthetic and its expression in works of art. In the past three decades he has mentored and inspired several of the best known Chinese ink artists but it was only within the last ten years that he has devoted himself seriously to painting. The discriminating and sophisticated eye he brings to the collecting of snuff bottles, imperial ceramics and scholarly works of art of the Ming and Qing dynasty infuses his ink paintings of rocks, scholarly objects and imaginary landscapes. The accompanying colophons, written in 'calligraphic' English are evocative, witty and poetic, recalling a journey or a poignant moment with a friend. His work has been shown in galleries in Asia, Europe and the United States.

Sotheby's. Monochrome, New York, 15 sept. 2015