Cheungqua (2 results)

[Canton 1860-80's, Cheungqua]. A single pith or Tongcao color painting, usual minimal issues, clean & solid example, brilliantly vivid colors, rarely found in such clean & fine condition. A RARE EXAMPLE ! . *** **** *** . . . FINE CHINESE COLOR PITH PAINTINGS . . . SHOWING BEAUTIFULLY DRESSED CHINESE IMPERIAL COURT LADY . . . EXECUTED IN STUNNING & BRILLIANT COLORS . . . AKA: CHINESE EXPORT WATERCOLOURS . * A stunning Chinese Imperial Court. She wears a golden-embroidered outer dress, with elaborate collar, sleeves and hem. She wears pink silk-embroidered pants, and her "lotus" bound feet are on a wooden stool. She sits on a Ming dynasty style Huahuali wood chair, with a fan in her right hand and silk-embroidered accessory in her left. Adjacent to her is a matching Ming table with three ripe 'You' fruits [pommel]. . * This is a typical studio trade painting" executed by Chinese native artists hand-painted color pith painting for foreign traders visiting Canton or Macao during the early to mid-19th century. . *** "GOLDEN LOTUS" or "LOTUS FEET" BOUND FEET [Chanzu]: This like most illustrations of the period show the woman with bound feet peeking out below her pant cuff. Chanzu [bound feet] was an erotic obsession and fetish in ancient China. The erotic ramifications are outlined in the references below. . *** DESCRIPTION OF THE PAINTING, ART WORK AND CONDITION: . This painting is in brilliant, vivid and stunning colors. Skillfully painted with a fine hand, delicate fine-point brush with great detail, incredible reality, texture and appeal. . As usual, this paintings was tipped to a contemporary stiff backing paper card. . This painting is approximately 19.5 x 27.5 cm. . There are a few old mends on the verso, the image is not impacted, it remains quite solid and very stable. By and large a far and above average excellent example. Suitable for framing and display. . Please review the photograph posted to our website for details. . *** "RICE PAPER" PAINTINGS: Several authors refer to this name rather than the proper name, "Pith" paper paintings, also can be called "Tung Tsao." . *** THE CANTON ARTIST OR 'SCHOOL' OF CHEUNG QUA: Cheung Qua was an export watercolor painter in Canton. He and followers of his school produced various single and albums of these paintings which were sold from his studio. . Often his in-house artists began painting on their own, thus replicating the techniques, subjects and essence of their masters. Because these paintings were rarely signed the one and only identification ever found was occasionally on the album cover or spine with the studio name. . Often these paintings were sold in various shops in Macao, the main resting and gathering place of foreigners during part of the year. . *** REFERENCE: . CLUNAS, Craig.: CHINESE EXPORT WATERCOLOURS. This entire book is devoted to Pith or Rice paper paintings. For musical instruments, see color plates on pp.50-53, especially plates on pp.66-67, plates 39 & 40 are particularly similar to our examples, that is to say by the same or an artist who was in the same house of Cheungqua or that school. * CHU, Arthur. et al.: ORIENTAL ANTIQUES AND COLLECTIBLES: A GUIDE, pp.62-66. * THE CHINESE PITH PAINTING COLLECTION AT THE NATIONAL LIBRARY OF AUSTRALIA: An Annotated Guide. * Crossman, Carl L. The decorative arts of the China trade : paintings, furnishings and exotic curiosities. * LEVY, Howard S.: CHINESE FOOT BINDING: The History of a Curious Erotic Custom. . --. THE LOTUS LOVERS: The Complete History of the Curious Erotic Custom of Foot binding in China. * JACKSON, Beverly.: SPLENDID SLIPPERS: A THOUSAND YEARS OF AN EROTIC TRADITION. . ***.

[Canton 1860-80's, Cheungqua]. A group of 7 pith or Tongcao color paintings, usual minimal issues, mostly clean & solid, sold "as is" as a collection, with the typical chips & a few fox spots, else very good, clean examples. A RARE GROUP ! . *** **** *** . . . A SUITE OF 7 FINE CHINESE COLOR PITH PAINTINGS . . . SHOWING BEAUTIFULLY DRESSED CHINESE WOMEN . . . PLAYING MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS . . . EXECUTED IN STUNNING & BRILLIANT COLORS . . . AKA: CHINESE EXPORT WATERCOLOURS . * A group of typical "trade paintings" executed by Chinese native artists for foreign traders visiting Canton or Macao during the early to mid-19th century. . * A SUPERB SUITE OF FABULOUS COLOR PITH PAINTINGS: A stunningly beautiful group of hand-painted color pith paintings, depicting a woman playing a musical instrument. . *** "GOLDEN LOTUS" or "LOTUS FEET" BOUND FEET [Chanzu]: This like most illustrations of the period show the women with bound feet. Chanzu [bound feet] was an erotic obsession and fetish in ancient China. The erotic ramifications are outlined in the references below. . * The paintings illustrate Chinese women in a domestic scene with furniture playing musical instruments. Subjects are: . a. Yue1in [Ruan], Moon Guitar [ Moon Zither], 4 stringed . b. Yanqin, Chinese Dulcimer . c. Sanxian, three-stringed Chinese lute . d. Drumming on the back of a Chinese ceramic bowl . e. Dizi, Chinese bamboo flute . f. Huqin, Chinese violin . g. Tong Luo, Chinese Brass Gong . *** DESCRIPTION OF THE PAINTING, ART WORK AND CONDITION: . Each painting is in brilliant, vivid and stunning colors. Each is skillfully painted with a fine hand, delicate fine-point brush with great detail, incredible reality, texture and appeal. . As usual, the set paintings were tipped to a contemporary backing period Each painting is backed with a contemporary stiff paper, or a more current back card. . Items "a" & "b" are matted, see cover.jpg & title.jpg photos posted to our website. . Each painting is approximately 21 x 34 cm., most have a blue silk ribbon border, partial border or border lacking, chipped and the like, on has restorations on the verso in the margin only. . Each painting has some chips, parts missing on the edges, or with small holes here and there ['e'], by and large the images are complete, but some may have usual and often typical age-related cracks or splits, a touch of fox spots on "c." . Suitable for framing & display. Please review photographs posted to our website for details. . *** "RICE PAPER" PAINTINGS: Several authors refer to this name rather than the proper name, "Pith" paper paintings, also can be called "Tung Tsao." . *** THE CANTON ARTIST OR 'SCHOOL' OF CHEUNG QUA: Cheung Qua was an export watercolor painter in Canton. He and followers of his school produced various single and albums of these paintings which were sold from his studio. . Often his in-house artists began painting on their own, thus replicating the techniques, subjects and essence of their masters. Because these paintings were rarely signed the one and only identification ever found was occasionally on the album cover or spine with the studio name. . Often these paintings were sold in various shops in Macao, the main resting and gathering place of foreigners during part of the year. . *** REFERENCE: . CLUNAS, Craig.: CHINESE EXPORT WATERCOLOURS. This entire book is devoted to Pith or Rice paper paintings. For musical instruments, see color plates on pp.50-53, especially plates on pp.66-67, plates 39 & 40 are particularly similar to our examples, that is to say by the same or an artist who was in the same house of Cheungqua or that school. * CHU, Arthur. et al.: ORIENTAL ANTIQUES AND COLLECTIBLES: A GUIDE, pp.62-66. * THE CHINESE PITH PAINTING COLLECTION AT THE NATIONAL LIBRARY OF AUSTRALIA: An Annotated Guide. * Crossman, Carl L. The decorative arts of the China trade : paintings, furnishings and exotic curiosities. * LEVY, Howard S.: CHINESE FOOT BINDING: The History of a Curious Er.