18th Century Pair of Large Chinese Paintings on Paper with Gilded Wooden Frame

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18th Century Pair of Large Chinese Paintings on Paper with Gilded Wooden Frame

About the Item

In order to appreciate the importance and particularity of these two paintings, we think it is useful to go into the description of the techniques and history of Chinese painting. These two beautiful paintings belong to the current of "traditional" Chinese painting, this style is opposed to the artistic styles of Western origin that became known in China between the nineteenth and twentieth centuries; we must specify that Chinese painting is considered one of the oldest artistic traditions in the world; so-called "traditional" painting does not involve the use of oils, but is carried out through the techniques of calligraphy (art complementary to painting), using a brush dipped in black ink and colored pigments; chinese painting assigns a very important role to the brush; the correct use of the brush is in a position perpendicular to the sheet, the strokes, which as in calligraphy cannot be erased, must be applied with the movement of the shoulder or elbow, but never with that of the fingers or wrist; there are different types of brush depending on the size, the type of bristle used and the subject to be painted; the one with wolf hair to paint stones and plants, the "white cloud" to color the surface of the painting and to paint water, the "Yiwen" to paint clothes, eyebrows, and hair, the one with red bristle to paint the landscape and the images in the background, the "Gouxian" used for the contours. The two paintings were made with one of the main techniques used by Chinese painting: Gongbi, which means "meticulous", characterized by extremely precise brushstrokes that create very accurate details, was used to tell figurative and narrative topics, using colors and was used by artists who worked for the royal court or in independent workshops. China has been, throughout history, the cradle of many religious and philosophical traditions; Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism constitute the so-called "three doctrines" or teachings, which have played an important role in shaping Chinese culture. Our paintings belong to the Buddhist tradition, in fact, they represent sacred characters or divinities, as they are represented with an aureole around the head. The aureole is an artistic element used in various cultures, as a form to indicate the sacredness and wisdom of a person or a god; in fact, the aureole of light, or better called "nimbus", is very popular in Indian art, as well as in Chinese art of Buddhist faith; in the paintings of the other two religious faiths, we do not find this pictorial element. They were painted between 1770 and 1790 in China; the frames were made in recent times with gold painted wood. Measures each cm.122 x 80 x 3. For all our shipments we use special packaging materials (wooden crates, styrofoam, etc.) for maximum protection and safety of the objects.

Dimensions:
Height: 48.04 in (122 cm)Width: 31.5 in (80 cm)Depth: 1.19 in (3 cm)
Sold As:
Set of 2
Style:
Chinoiserie (Of the Period)
Materials and Techniques:
Paper,Wood,Gilt,Hand-Painted
Place of Origin:
China
Period:
Late 18th Century
Date of Manufacture:
1770-1790
Condition:
Wear consistent with age and use.
Seller Location:
Prato, IT
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU4632223377352