'HEART SUTRA', BY PU RU (1896-1963) China. Ink on paper, with a red silk brocade frame and mounted as a hanging scroll. Calligraphy written in regular script with the heart sutra (Xinjing), signed and with two seals, the paper with gold flakes.

Inscriptions: Lower left signed, 'by Xishan yishi Pu Ru', two seals, 'Pu Ru zhiyin' and 'Xinshe'

Provenance: British trade.
Condition: Good condition with some wear, discoloration of the paper due to bleeding of the silk frame, the frame with tears, creases, and minor material loss.

Dimensions: Image size 66.1 x 31.9 cm, Size incl. mounting 175.4 x 43.3 cm

The Heart Sutra, propagating total denial of the reality of the phenomenal world, is one of the most important Mahayana texts and became a popular script for copying, probably partly due to its brevity. Copying of the sutra, such as seen in the present lot, had the dual function of serving as a calligraphic exercise and representing an act of devotion.

Pu Ru (1896-1963), also known as Pu Xinshe, was a traditional Chinese painter, calligrapher, and nobleman. A member of the Manchu Aisin Gioro clan, the ruling house of the Qing dynasty, he was a cousin to Puyi, the last Emperor of China. It was speculated that Pu Ru would have succeeded to the Chinese throne if Puyi and the Qing government were not overthrown after the 1911 Xinhai Revolution. Pu Ru was reputed to be as talented as the famous southern artist Zhang Daqian. Together, they became known as 'Pu of the North and Zhang of the South'. Pu Ru fled to Taiwan after the Communist Party of China came to power and was appointed by Chiang Kai-shek as a Manchu representative at the Constitutional National Assembly. In Taiwan, he made a living selling paintings and calligraphy, and taught as a professor of fine arts at the National Taiwan Normal University.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Sotheby's New York, 23 March 2018, lot 1382
Price: USD 31,250 or approx. EUR 35,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: Pu Ru 1896-1963, Calligraphy in regular script
Expert remark: Note the size (92.9 x 53.3 cm)


溥儒款《般若波羅蜜多心經》
中國，灑金紙，掛軸。楷書《般若波羅蜜多心經》。

款識：西山逸士溥儒敬寫
鈴印：溥儒之印；心畲

來源：英國古玩交易。
品相：狀況良好，有一些磨損，絲綢襯底滲色導致紙張變色，有撕裂、摺痕和輕微缺損。

尺寸：畫面66.1 x 31.9 厘米，總175.4 x 43.3 厘米

《般若波羅蜜多心經》是大乘佛教表達空性和般若波羅蜜觀點的經典，虔誠抄寫《心經》既是書法練習，又可以靜心，還是虔誠的表現。

拍賣結果比較：
形制：相近
拍賣：紐約蘇富比，2018年3月23日，lot 1382
價格：USD 31,250（相當於今日EUR 35,500）
描述：溥儒《正氣歌》
專家評論：請注意尺寸(92.9 x 53.3 厘米)