This work is from the tail end of Huang Yao’s Nanyang series with delicate Bai Miao fine lines. It is a peculiar sight of a dainty woman holding the thorny durian to her bosom while a small boy holds on to a long staff with a sickle at one end. The artwork displays a sense of fun and lightheartedness as well as camaraderie between mother and child.

Huang Yao (alias Wong Yao, Wang Yao), a luminary of the Chinese literati recluse tradition, is known for his upside-down calligraphy called chuyun shu (emerging from the clouds) and Oracle Bone Script. He was Art Editor of the Shanghai Post in 1935 and became famous for his cartoon character Niu BiZi, which is also his nom de plume from 1934 to 1951. He was descended from Wang Xiang, a filial of the Eastern Han Dynasty and his father, Wang Han Chong, was a noted calligrapher. His fame has seen a resurgence since his retrospective exhibition in Singapore in 2001 and the Shanghai Art Museum honoured him with the Huang Yao Exhibition in August 2011. His works are collected by major museums such as the British Museum, Ashmolen Museum (USA), the National Palace Museum of Taiwan and the Shanghai Museum.