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China Export Watercolour on Pith Paper: A Set of Twelve Processions

c. 1870

About the Item

[China Export Water-colours on Pith Paper] A Set of Twelve Processions. China, ca. 1870]. Water-colour and gouache studies on pith paper, framed by blue silk ribbon, all mounted. Pith came into use for painting to satisfy the increasing demand for small, inexpensive and easily transported souvenirs, following the massive growth in the China Trade in the first quarter of the nineteenth century. Paintings in oils, on board and canvas were costly and difficult to carry home. Earlier and more prestigious export water-colours had often been on a larger scale and painted on fine Chinese paper or on paper imported from Europe. The albums of pith paintings (and later the little glass-fronted boxes) were inexpensive, light, easy to pack and gave the pictures some protection on the long voyage home. Because many were sold in albums and hence protected from the light, they retain their bright colours to this day. Pith comes from the central column of spongy cellular tissue in the stem of a small tree called Tetrapanax Papyrifera, native to south-west China. It has had a variety of uses, some going back many centuries. At the imperial court both men and women wore coloured flowers made from pith in their hair. For use in painting, it is cut by hand with a knife into thin sheets from short lengths of the spongy tissue. Cutting is highly skilled and the constraints of the process mean that the finished sheets for painting seldom, if ever, measure more than about 30cms by 20cms. The sheets are dried, trimmed and used for painting without any further processing. Because of the nature of pith and its cellular structure, the gouache used by the Chinese sat on the surface and produced a bright and even sparkling effect. Very fine detail could be achieved but pith did not lend itself to the flat wash of colour favoured for European watercolours.
  • Creation Year:
    c. 1870
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 9.26 in (23.5 cm)Width: 13 in (33 cm)
  • Medium:
    Rice Paper,Watercolor
  • Period:
    1870-1879
  • Condition:
    Framed and glazed in handmade gilt frames. Overall Dimensions: 33 x 23.5cm.
  • Gallery Location:
    London, GB
  • Reference Number:
    Seller: 852171stDibs: LU141926739492
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