WATER-COLOUR PAINTINGS OF CHRYSANTHEMUMS AT DR. SUN'S MAUSOLEUM - PAINTED BY ONG SCHAN TCHOW.

HONG KONG: Yik Mui Art Association, 1939. From the copyright page: "First Edition, Printed January 1939...Engraved and Printed by The Asiatic Litho. Printing Press / 390, King's Road, Hong Kong."

Hardcovers, cord binding, 10.5x15 inches oblong. Pagination: [1] Title Page / Table of Contents, [4] Preface Pages, [2] Comment Pages, [20] Twenty Plates of Chrysanthemum Watercolors side-by-side with Calligraphic Poems. Each leaf is printed on one side only.

VERY GOOD condition, the covers have some rubs, a few scrapes and wear to the top of the spine, otherwise they are solid and doing their job well; internally the pages are complete, tight, bright, clean and unmarked.

SCARCE and IMPORTANT WORK by the CHINESE / HONG KONG ARTIST ONG SCHAN TCHOW. This book almost never comes up for sale, the last copy I am aware of was incomplete - missing plates.

About ONG SCHAN TCHOW (from Wikipedia):

******Ong Schan Tchow, b.1900 d.1945, was born in the Longyan prefecture, Southern Fujian Province, China. He was known for Chinese ink wash painting, color paintings of flowers (Chrysanthemums in particular), and Calligraphy. He was one of the first Chinese artists to study in Paris and one of the early artists to integrate traditional Chinese and Western art techniques,

In Paris, Ong studied at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts. In addition, he obtained a Master of Arts in Law, French and Political Science from the University of Paris.

In Nanjing Ong produced one of his MONUMENTAL WORKS - a compilation of paintings of chrysanthemums with accompanying poems and commentary from well known persons. This compilation was succinctly called the "BOOK OF CHRYSANTHEMUMS" [and un-succinctly titled WATER-COLOUR PAINTINGS OF CHRYSANTHEMUMS AT DR. SUN'S MAUSOLEUM]. The book contained paintings of the vast variety of Chrysanthemums planted at the newly completed mausoleum of Dr. Sun Yat-sen, the "Father of Modern China", at Nanjing, the former Capital of China.

During the Second Sino-Japanese War, Professor Ong exhibited his works extensively and gave all the proceeds to the war relief effort. The war destroyed many of his paintings but he managed to salvage some important works. The advancing Japanese army forced him to move his exhibitions to Hong Kong and later to Singapore and Malaysia.

Ong died in 1945, at the age of 45, while exhibiting his works in Ipoh, Malaysia. In the Annals of Longyan, Ong is considered one of her most famous citizens.******