紫气东来Purple Air from the East (swallows)

A small painting on card. An old wisteria vine twists down from the top in ochre and ink, thick and thin by turns, its bends firmly drawn. Clusters of flowers hang from it, dabbed in violet and lilac with yellow centres, profuse but orderly, among leaves of mixed green and ochre. The lower part of the card is left open, and through it a pair of swallows flies with forked tails, one high and one low, red-throated and ink-backed, caught in flight with a few quick strokes.

The title at the lower right reads “Purple Air from the East”: the wisteria’s purple flowers are an omen of good fortune at the door, and the swallows bring the spring.

此为卡纸小品。老藤自画顶盘曲而下，以赭墨写出，粗细相间，转折有力；紫藤花穗串串垂挂，以紫、淡紫点簇，花心点黄，繁而不乱；藤叶青绿与赭黄相杂，疏密有致。画幅下部大片留白，燕子一双剪尾斜飞，一上一下，朱红腹羽，墨色背翼，以简练的笔触写出飞翔之态，轻捷生动。

右下题“紫气东来”。紫藤繁花，喻紫气盈门；燕子春来，寓吉祥喜庆，合写春光与祥瑞。