Michael Pashby Antiques http://www.michaelpashbyantiques.com/shop/period-objects/very-fine-set-of-eight-chinese-watercolors-of-the-production-of-silk-c-1820/ Export date: Thu May 16 12:12:49 2024 / +0000 GMT |
Very Fine Set of Eight Chinese Watercolors of the Production of Silk, Mid 19th CenturyInventory Number: : 180-104 Price: $ 18,000 4 ins high and 6 1/2 ins wide (image) For more information please contact us TELEPHONE. 917 414 1827 EMAIL. [email protected] www.michaelpashbyantiques.com © Michael Pashby Antiques.
DESCRIPTIONProcess of silk making (sericulture) depicted in the paintings: Watercolors depicting Chinese characters and everyday life were extremely popular subjects for export to the European markets in the 19th century, and many albums were produced in Canton by the pre-eminent artist studios of the day including Tingqua, Sungqua and Youqua. The set of eight watercolors (gouache) that we present here depict the process of the “production of silk” and relate directly to similar sets in the Peabody Museum, the Mystic Seaport Museum and are of the highest quality. It is evident that the very best of three watercolor series depict a very limited number of subjects; the cultivation of rice, the production of porcelain, the production of silk, and the cultivation of tea, and all appear to have original from the same studio. Each individual painting is fully realized and finished to a very high artistic quality. Interestingly, these works are painted on what is known as pith paper (sometimes erroneously referred to a rice paper). Pith paper is not actually paper at all but a cellular tissue skillfully cut from the stem of a small tree Tetrapanax Papyrifera, native to south west China. The pith paper support for these watercolors is extremely thin producing a translucent quality and artist has painted the sky and landscape features on the reverse of the paper with the figures, building structures and detail painted on the face of the painting resulting in a wonderful depth to each scene. Given the fragility of the thin support and the fugitive nature of the watercolor, series of painting such as these were laid down on Chinese paper and bound into albums to protect them from damage and light. These pieces have now been framed with acid free materials and protected with non-reflective UV-filtering glass. Canton, China. Mid 19th Century Provenance:
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