CHINESE SCHOOL, 19TH CENTURY
A Chinese Noble Woman in her garden with attendants
Oil on canvas, 44 x 59cm

Throughout the late 18th and 19th centuries, the production of Chineseexport art...

CHINESE SCHOOL, 19TH CENTURY
A Chinese Noble Woman in her garden with attendants
Oil on canvas, 44 x 59cm

Throughout the late 18th and 19th centuries, the production of Chineseexport art flourished. Paintings with extraordinarilyvivid and colourfulimagery were created in order to satisfy the proliferate appetite of Western society for Oriental and exotic goods.

Scenes ofeverydaylife within Chinese societywere of tremendous interest to the European who in the absence of photographs and with limited opportunity for travel was curious about life and culture in the Far East. Depictions of bright, colourfulcostumes, flowers, animals, and architecture quickly became a marketable effect for merchants who set up their workshops in Canton (modern-day Guangzhou).

In 1842, after the signing of the Treatyof Nanking, the export painting industry was further accelerated by the forced opening of additional Chinese ports to foreign trade.

The medium employed by the artist of this work, painted in the 19th century, creates a smooth glossy surface, thereby resembling the popular Chinese technique of reverse glass painting, imitating verre églomisé decoration.

The richly decorated pavilion and figures in this picture contrast with the use of a solid black pigment, thus enhancing the image so that it appears florid and somewhat three dimensional.

Glass was gradually replaced by timber panel which proved to be a somewhat more durable substitute for the long journey between China and Europe.

 

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