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China Trade Painting on Paper depicting the Feeding of Silkworms
$8,500
£6,419.77
€7,415.83
CA$11,975.29
A$12,825.54
CHF 6,894.92
MX$155,773.67
NOK 87,120.69
SEK 79,765.47
DKK 55,409.82
About the Item
China Trade Painting on Paper depicting Feeding of Silkworms,
Circa 1780-1800
This painting is a superb example of the artwork created by Chinese artists for the Western market, offering a fascinating, idealized glimpse into the source of one of China’s most prized commodities: silk.
Description and Subject
Executed in delicate watercolor and gouache on paper, this painting details two key stages in the ancient process of sericulture. On the left, women in an elegant pavilion are shown feeding silkworms with freshly picked mulberry leaves arranged in stacked trays. To the right, the now-fattened worms are being moved to wooden stands, where they will begin to spin their precious cocoons.
The scene is rendered with meticulous detail, from the figures’ focused activity to the intricate architecture of the building, which is picturesquely raised on stilts over the water. The entire composition is presented in a handsome period verre églomisé and decoupage frame, indicating it was a highly prized object upon its arrival in the West.
Historical Background 🧐
This work belongs to the genre known as China Trade painting. Produced in workshops in Canton (modern Guangzhou) during the late 18th and early 19th centuries, these paintings were made almost exclusively for the export market. Western merchants, diplomats, and sea captains, largely confined to their trading posts, were eager to acquire souvenirs that illustrated the culture and industries of a country they found both mysterious and fascinating.
Series depicting the production of luxury goods like tea, porcelain, and silk were especially popular. However, as the scholar Carl L. Crossman notes, these are not documentary images of factories. Instead, they present a romanticized vision. Crossman writes that such scenes show "in great detail an idealised view of the pavilions and gardens of the residence of a wealthy Chinese, rather than the place of manufacture."
By setting this industrial process within the tranquil beauty of a scholar’s garden, the artist elevated the subject from mere labor to a refined and harmonious activity. This painting is a wonderful cultural artifact, a hybrid of Western materials (like English paper) and Chinese artistic sensibilities, created to satisfy a Westerner's idyllic vision of China. The subject itself is rooted in a long Chinese artistic tradition of depicting sericulture, as seen in ancient paintings that document the same essential stages of the process.
Condition
Details
Condition: Excellent, with colors remaining bright and vibrant.
Dimensions: 21 1/4 inches high x 25 1/4 inches wide (53.98 cm×64.14 cm).
Reference: Carl L. Crossman, The Decorative Arts of The China Trade, for a discussion of similar idealized paintings of the silk industry.
(Ref: NY10587-VM)
- Dimensions:Height: 21.25 in (53.98 cm)Width: 25.25 in (64.14 cm)Depth: 1.25 in (3.18 cm)
- Style:Chinese Export (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1790-1810
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Downingtown, PA
- Reference Number:Seller: NY10587-VM1stDibs: LU861041337152
About the Seller
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