Items Similar to Qing Dynasty Chinese painted mirror / glass painting “Traditional Scene”
Video Loading
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 24
UnknownQing Dynasty Chinese painted mirror / glass painting “Traditional Scene”1870
1870
$1,775.48
£1,322.47
€1,490
CA$2,444.97
A$2,661.29
CHF 1,410.12
MX$32,006.07
NOK 17,929.36
SEK 16,430.28
DKK 11,352.81
About the Item
One of a kind Chinese painted mirror, or mirror with reverse painting, originally from the Qing Dynasty, around the end of the 19th century. It depicts various traditional scenes following a vertical layout and narrative. Different scenes with symbolic and auspicious elements frame royal figures and their servants, all dressed in colorful traditional clothing, with a common theme: family, home, and happiness. Human figures appear in natural settings, as well as vegetation, mountains, pagodas, and so on.
In this type of painting, human figures are usually outlined with fine black lines. These outlines are then filled with various colors and applied to different areas to form the details. The predominant colors in this type of painting are cinnabar, orpiment, lead white, azurite, malachite, and lead red—all vibrant hues. After applying the colors, a thin layer of white paint is applied to form the background for the reverse of the painting (non-Chinese reverse glass paintings use black to intensify the colors).
Above, we find pagodas, typical buildings of Asian countries. Most of these buildings were built for religious purposes, as part of Buddhism and Taoism. Immediately after, an ox appears, an animal that symbolizes strength, prosperity, or a connection with nature. Next to the ox, we find flying birds, which may represent freedom, and a couple of women with two children, wearing traditional costumes. On the lower level, there are two other figures: a man dressed in traditional costume and a reclining Buddha; in this case, a symbol of happiness, abundance, and prosperity.
Finally, there are some sages. The one appearing on the deer is likely a Luohan, an enlightened being in Buddhism. The union between the deer and the sage symbolizes the search for immortality and harmony with nature, as the deer is a symbol of longevity, good fortune, and prosperity. A notable element is that the man on the left's costume displays symbols of yin and yang. The man on the right appears mounted on a kind of palanquin or chariot.
Also notable is the presence of clouds surrounding almost all the figures, creating a divine or celestial setting. The clouds create an ethereal and dreamlike background, characteristic of depictions of celestial landscapes in traditional Asian art. The work is framed in a wooden frame with a bronze hanger that follows the oriental aesthetic.
Support Technique: Painted Mirror / Glass Painting
Title: "Traditional Scene"
Period: Qing Dynasty, 19th Century
Country of Origin: China
Good condition commensurate with age and use
Overall Dimensions: 105 x 40 x 3 cm
Unframed Dimensions: 99 x 34 cm
About the Seller
No Reviews Yet
Vetted Professional Seller
Every seller passes strict standards for authenticity and reliability
1stDibs seller since 2025
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Shipping from: Valladolid, Spain
- Return Policy
More From This Seller
View AllQing Dynasty Blue White and Black Gouache Scroll Geishas
Located in Valladolid, ES
Amazing and Exquisite vertical Chinese scroll, 18th century Qing Dynasty, blue, white, and brown, "Geisha Pair" (Gouache on paper, hanging vertically, possibly a vertical scroll, fra...
Category
1780s Baroque Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Paper
Hasegawa School Edo Folding Screen with Horses Byobu Horses Japan
Located in Valladolid, ES
One of a kind and incredible six-panel Hasegawa school folding screen, featuring horses, is an exceptional piece.
"Scene with Wild Horses" (Kōgen Bashu-zu in Japanese) is in the styl...
Category
1850s Edo Animal Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Paper
Japanese print on paper, fragment of a screen, Summer and Autumn Flowers Tawara
Located in Valladolid, ES
Fantástica impresión sobre papel de un fragmento del biombo “Flores de verano y otoño”, obra original de Tawaraya Sōtatsu, siglo XVII, fundador de la escuela Rimpa. La pieza correspo...
Category
1990s Modern Figurative Prints
Materials
Paper
Oil on canvas Castilian landscape by Raimundo de Blas Spain
Located in Valladolid, ES
A beautiful and excellent oil on canvas depicting a Castilian landscape, signed by Raimundo de Blas. Raimundo de Blas (Mucientes, 1910-1975) was a poet and painter born in Mucientes,...
Category
1940s Art Nouveau Landscape Paintings
Materials
Canvas
French Orientalist oil on canvas, Narcisse Berchere Landscape
Located in Valladolid, ES
One of a kind signed oil on canvas from the workshop or circle of Narcisse Berchère, a renowned French artist. In it, the artist masterfully captures the tranquil beauty of the land...
Category
1860s Landscape Paintings
Materials
Canvas
Painting Sunrise view from a rocky landscape Dutch school
Located in Valladolid, ES
Exquisite painting on canvas, "Sunrise View from a Rocky Landscape with a Soldier"
In the style of 17th-century Dutch landscape painting, the Golden Age of Dutch painting,
Dutch Gold...
Category
Early 1800s Landscape Paintings
Materials
Canvas
You May Also Like
Chinese Qing Reverse-Painted Mirror from the Qing Dynasty
By Chow
s Oriental Furniture Co.
Located in Valladolid, ES
Stunning reverse-painted mirror from the 19th-century Qing Dynasty, depicting different scenes in a vertical narrative.
Different scenes with symbolic and auspicious elements frame r...
Category
Antique 1870s Chinese Qing Paintings and Screens
Materials
Crystal
Chinese Reverse Glass Painting of Taoist Immortals, c. 1900
Located in Chicago, IL
Popularized during the Qing dynasty, reverse glass painting requires an artist to essentially work backwards, starting with details and shading before adding color and form. Lending the finished work a subtle three-dimensional effect, this exacting technique doesn't allow for any corrections, and is only revealed to its full effect when the glass pane is turned around. This example dates to the late 19th century and depicts the Taoist immortals He Xiangu...
Category
Early 20th Century Qing Portrait Paintings
Materials
Glass, Paint, Wood
19th Century Chinese Qing Dynasty Reverse Painted Mirror
Located in Dublin 8, IE
19th Century Chinese Qing Dynasty Reverse Painted Mirror depicting a Court Scene. Featuring four ladies in traditional garments, including one fishing, along with a bridge to the cen...
Category
Antique 19th Century Chinese Qing Paintings and Screens
Materials
Glass, Mirror, Paint
Chinese Reverse Glass Painting of Taoist Immortals, c. 1900
Located in Chicago, IL
Popularized during the Qing dynasty, reverse glass painting requires an artist to essentially work backwards, starting with details and shading before adding color and form. Lending the finished work a subtle three-dimensional effect, this exacting technique doesn't allow for any corrections, and is only revealed to its full effect when the glass pane is turned around. This example dates to the late 19th century and depicts the Taoist immortals He Xiangu and Cao Guojiu. Said to have attained immortality through their studies of the natural world, the Eight Immortals each represent a different condition in life and impart blessings of prosperity and longevity. The charming scene is likely one of a set of...
Category
Early 20th Century Chinese Paintings and Screens
Materials
Glass, Wood
Late 18th Century Framed Chinese Glass Back Painted Scene of a Family
Located in Queens, NY
Chinese (18th/19th century) framed glass back painting depicting a family beneath two flowering trees surrounded by birds and butterflies in a wooden frame with decorative metal top ...
Category
Antique Late 18th Century Chinese Chinese Export Paintings
Materials
Glass
Large Chinese Export Reverse Paintings on Mirror
Located in Norton, MA
A large charming 19th-century Chinese export reverse painting on mirror, depicting a man asking for a marriage.
Reverse glass pictu...
Category
Antique 19th Century Chinese Paintings and Screens
Materials
Glass, Mirror, Wood
$3,825 / set
More Ways To Browse
Antique Glass Painting
Ox Antique
Reverse Glass Painting
19Th Century Reverse Glass Paintings
Antique Cinnabar
Chinese Glass Painting
19th Century Reverse Painting On Glass
Azurite Malachite
Chinese Reverse Glass Paintings
Chinese Dynasty Painting
Chinese Qing Dynasty Paintings
Black Chinese Mirrors
Reclining Buddha
Antique Oriental Mirror
Reclining Buddha Antique
Jim Crow
Joyce Roybal Painting
Konstantin Razumov