Early 19th Century, Beautiful Pair of Chinese Watercolor Paintings on Pith Paper

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Early 19th Century, Beautiful Pair of Chinese Watercolor Paintings on Pith Paper

About the Item

These are a beautifully painted pair of Chinese water-colours from the early 19th century, circa 1830 Both paintings depict ladies in a seated position playing musical instruments sat by tables holding flower vases. The ladies have very slim figures, oval faces and cherry lips as with oriental ladies painted on porcelain of this period and earlier. The fine detail brushwork is excellent. Thy are painted on Pith Paper A variety of subjects was created for the Western Export trade, mostly illustrating Chinese customs or practices seemingly exotic to Western eyes. They were sold mainly by studios in and around Canton (Guangzhou), with watercolours being part of goods eagerly sought by the Dutch, English Australians and others, including silk, tea, ceramics and jade. The vivid colour of these works derives principally from the ‘pith’ surface. Watercolour does not sink into pith as it does into normal paper, but sits on the surface like little jewels. In fact, pith is not manufactured like paper. It is a type of veneer, cut from the inner spongy tissue of a small tree indigenous to southern China and Taiwan. Pith paper is often confused with rice paper. It was used for centuries in China for making artificial flowers. In the 19th Century it became a popular medium for watercolour paintings, many of which were bound into albums and brought back by Western tourists Both paintings have been newly mounted using "Castle Ivory" card, backing card, clear melinex sheet to the front and are ready for framing. The paintings in view are 7.5 inches high by 5 inches with outer frame dimensions of 13 inches high by 9.5 inches wide. There is some age discolouration to both paintings as can be seen from the photographs with minor losses, particularly around the edges of the paintings as is usual with these type of paintings

Dimensions:
Height: 13 in (33.02 cm)Width: 9.5 in (24.13 cm)Depth: 0.15 in (3.81 mm)
Sold As:
Set of 2
Style:
Qing (Of the Period)
Materials and Techniques:
Paper,Hand-Painted
Place of Origin:
China
Period:
Early 19th Century
Date of Manufacture:
circa 1830
Condition:
Wear consistent with age and use. Minor losses. Minor fading. some age discolouration.
Seller Location:
Lincoln, GB
Reference Number:
Seller: Pa 0591stDibs: LU99031784742