Chinese Reverse Glass Painting aft “The Contemplative Charmer”, Canton, ca 1785.
Price:54000 SEK4806 EUR5184 USDChange Currency
Dimensions: Height 37 cm (15 inches) x Width 29 cm (12 inches)
A fine Chinese export reverse glass painting, made in Canton during the late Qianlong period, circa 1780–1790. The composition is derived from the popular English mezzotint The Contemplative Charmer, first published in London by Carington Bowles in 1779 and subsequently by Robert Sayer and John Bennett in 1780.
The painting depicts an elegantly dressed European lady seated on a flower-covered upholstered settee, wearing a voluminous white headdress and a pale gown with blue ribbon details. Beside her hangs the distinctive weekly letter rack, divided into the days of the week and filled with small cards and notes.
Particularly fascinating is the Chinese artist’s interpretation of the English original. While the composition has been followed closely, the woman’s features have been softened and idealised, and the unfamiliar European wall sconce has been transformed into an almost mask-like ornamental form. These subtle alterations reveal the cultural translation that took place when European prints were interpreted by Cantonese artists.
During the 1780s, copying European – particularly English – engravings became an important part of Chinese reverse-glass production for the Western export market.
An unusually fine and evocative example of late 18th-century Chinese export art, combining Georgian English imagery with the distinctive technique and interpretation of a Canton workshop.