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Lee Man Fong (1913-1988) ‘Fortune and Longevity’, signed, titled and dated The Hague 1951 upper left in Chinese, oil on board. H. 40 cm. W. 96 cm. Provenance: Dutch private collection. For a larger painting with a nearly identical representation, see: Ho Kung-Shang, 'The Oil Paintings of Lee Man Fong: The Pioneer Artist of Indonesia and Singapore', Art Book Co., Ltd, Taiwan, 1984, ill. p. 25 and Sotheby's Hong Kong, 6 October 2012, lot 338. This painting with its balanced composition, abundance of people and details, is without a doubt one of the best works in Man Fong’s oeuvre. He made it in 1951 in the Netherlands, at the heydays of his carreer. The title is derived from the Chinese text at the top left of the painting where wishes of prosperity and longevtiy are written. This message is conveyed by the many Chinese symbols: on the left side of the panel, pumpkins symbolize gold and abundance, lettuce in Chinese is the homophone of money, aubergine is deemed to be a plant to cure all sickness, kumquats symbolize prosperity, winter melons family unity, while water buffaloes augur idyllic life, harvest and fertility. Longevity is represented by the pine tree and the abundance of villagers spanning three-generations. PLEASE NOTE: we don't accept online live bids during the auction for this lot.