A 300-year old masterpiece by Zhu Da (alias Bada Shanren), one of China's most renowned painters, will go under the hammer on Friday with an asking price of 30 million yuan (US$3.85 million).

The painting, composed of four screens each 284 centimeters long and 68 centimeters wide, features flowers and birds. It was completed in 1692 by the artist at the age of 67. It is to be sold at the autumn-season auction of Beijing Treasure International Auction Company Limited.

The painting is a representative work of the painter and of unique artistic value, said Jiang Wenguang, a research fellow with China's National Museum.

A famous Chinese freehand brushwork painter and calligrapher, Zhu Da (1626-1705) was born into the royal family of the Ming dynasty and later retired to the mountains when the Ming Dynasty fell in 1644.

His early paintings include albums of flowers and rocks, with recondite poems, and are signed under a variety of obscure names. Later he used subtle, intriguing depictions of birds and fish to allude to his distress under Manchu rule, painting lotuses with broken stems, and ink landscapes.

Zhu Da was listed among China's ten most renowned ancient cultural figures by United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization in 1985.

(CRI.com December 15, 2006)