122020100DD

A rare set of five original watercolor paintings on pith (often mistakenly referred to as rice paper). This set of five paintings depicts Chinese Junques and Sampans, and are of unusually large size, 12 3/4" X 8" or  32 X 20 Centimeters. Framed Size is 21 1/4" X 16 3/4".

 Pith comes from the central column of a spongy cellular tissue in the stem of a small tree, Tetra Panax Papyifera, native to South-West China. It is cut by hand with a small, delicate knife into thin sheets of small size. The size is limited by the nature of the material and the process requires a highly skilled hand. The finished sheets are usually no more than 20cm X 30 cm. These were painted by a handful of highly skilled Chinese artists who were painting to sell to the Western market. Westerners were very curious about the Chinese way of life, but they were barred from contact with the Chinese people by the Chinese government. The exotic was an important part of American and European decor in the 18th and 19th centuries, so traders from America and Europe brought these paintings back as souvenirs of their travels and to sell to people back home. Now framed and protected in carefully chosen museum quality archival framing to preserve these rare and delicate paintings, they are ready for hanging. They are framed as five individual paintings.

 They are in good to excellent original condition with their original red ribbon borders. One painting has some toning and several have very minor splits on the pith. Circa 1830-1850. The paintings have been professionally framed with archival materials. PLEASE SEE ALL PHOTOS WHICH ARE PART OF THE DESCRIPTION.