SHA QI, known as Sadji (1914–2005) Two Children at the Fountain, ca. 1938–1945 Watercolor on paper. Signed lower right. 35.5 x 50 cm Painted during Sha Qi’s (known as Sadji) stay in Belgium, while he was a student of Alfred Bastien at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Brussels, this watercolor depicts two children filling a bottle at a large rectangular stone basin in a wooded setting. The spontaneous treatment of the watercolor emphasizes the scene of everyday life rather than a detailed description of the landscape. The basin bears a painted mark (“18 AAR 93,” subject to interpretation), likely a journeyman’s mark dated 1893. Provenance: Sale of the furnishings from René Magritte’s home following the death of Mrs. Georgette Magritte-Berger, Paleis voor Schone Kunsten, Brussels, April 1, 1987, lot 381 (label on the back and a copy of the catalog). This painting bears witness to Sha Qi’s period of training in Europe and his work as a landscape painter in Belgium.