- 216
A pair of Chinese paintings on glass circa 1785
bidding is closed
Description
- 15.5cm., by 9.5cm.; 6¼in., 3¾in.
one depicting a European subject of a courting couple by a tree, the other an Oriental woman and a young boy walking beside a river, in moulded contemporary hardwood frames
Exhibited
The painting depicting the European subject was exhibited Sotheby`s Exhibition, A Tale of Three Cities, Canton, Shanghai & Hong Kong, Three Centuries of Sino-British Trade in the Decorative Arts, 1997, by David S. Howard, exhibit number 197, illustrated p. 152 of the catalogue.
Catalogue Note
These small reverse paintings are of a type which was readily available in the shops of Canton for purchase by merchants and sailors as gifts. The popular scene depicting a European gallant and his lady was well known to the Chinese and was one which would sell well although there often are other very similar versions showing less decorum.