106 - [ASIAN ART - CHINA] - CANTON SCHOOL

[ASIAN ART - CHINA] - CANTON SCHOOL Album of twelve gouache paintings on rice paper China, Canton, second half of the 19th – early 20th century Oblong 8vo. Original binding containing a set of 12 leaves. Silk missing from one cover, with losses on the other. The first painting is in pieces but nearly complete; a few minor imperfections on the others A precious and charming, complete album showcasing the “export paintings” produced by Cantonese workshops for Western travelers. The work brings together 12 paintings, finely executed in gouache and rich ink on moelle paper (made from the stem of the Tetrapanax papyrifer plant, incorrectly referred to in Europe as “rice paper”). This unique organic medium, with its matte, velvety white surface, has the property of absorbing water-based pigments, giving them a three-dimensional quality, a piercing luminosity, and an incomparable freshness of color, reminiscent of miniature painting. The compositions depict scenes from everyday Chinese life in the late Qing dynasty with great attention to pictorial detail: street trades, artisans at work, street vendors, intimate domestic scenes in refined interiors, and traditional ceremonies. Each painting is traditionally framed by a delicate silk border or ribbon (turquoise blue or azure) that secures it to the endpaper. This collection is of great documentary and aesthetic value.