19th century Chinese painting from the Qing dynasty,... Lot 163
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19th century Chinese painting from the Qing dynasty, hand-painted in water colors on a pith surface, bordered by strips of silk fabric, attached to paper (defects to the paper / photographed),
Paper dimensions: 24x35 cm,
Frame dimensions: 26x37 cm.
(* Pith is often mistakenly described, by those unfamiliar with the material, as rice paper. However, this surface on which they painted in China has nothing to do with paper in its structure and behavior. It is actually a sheet of inner bark derived from the pith plant, the Tetrapanax Papyrifer The unusual structure of the core of this plant, which creates a 'leaf' or such a thin surface, gives the transparent nature and soft surface with its velvety inner texture on which Chinese artists paint in watercolor.
The colors were applied in diverse ways and created wonderful effects between transparency and opacity. Some of the strokes are light strokes - the colors stick to the edges of the cell and maintain the quality of the transparent support.
Thicker applications of color on the peat tend to fill the cell of the plant, creating a more compressed effect as body paint.
Additional colors, mainly red and white, were painted when they are raised from the surface and provide a three-dimensional effect. These may have been created by mixing shellac with watercolor. And these have a higher tendency to crack.
Although peat seems similar to paper, it is actually a very thin sheet of wood that can easily break. The spongy and soft surface is easily damaged. Even the slightest pressure can change its structure and create all kinds of marks and changes on the surface.
In addition, it is extremely sensitive to moisture, and moisture causes expansion and contraction that cause serious damage. Also, the colors themselves are sensitive to water, so any exposure to direct moisture should be avoided.
Chinese peet paintings usually suffer from deficiencies, tears or cracks in their support for the painting itself, caused by the natural fragility of the peet during its aging as a raw material, many times the cracks and tears are caused by the stress caused by the traditional assembly method in China, which used a drip of glue and strips silk that framed the edges of the paintings. - from the Aguspedia).
** Attached for illustration is a screenshot from a sales house abroad with similar items and their price.
Period: 19th century (1800-1900)
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