A village canal scene is done in tawny tones against a gauzy background by contemporary Shanghai painter Zhao-Nian Xi. The artist works primarily in watercolor on paper, and has focused particularly on small villages near Shanghai where life centers on a network of canals. He often chooses to leave portions of his scenes shrouded in mist as he did here with the top of the curved bridge and the more distant house. Zhao-Nian Xi was born in 1944 and was graduated from the Shanghai School of Fine Ar... Click for details
An early morning canal scene by contemporary Shanghai painter Zhao-Nian Xi is shrouded in blue/grey mist. This artist works primarily in watercolor on paper, producing paintings that have a sense of emptiness and calm. He has focused particularly on the small villages near Shanghai where life centers on a network of ancient canals. Zhao-Nian Xi was born in 1944 and was graduated from the Shanghai School of Fine Art. His paintings are in collections in Asia, Europe and the United States. This wat... Click for details
Three charming gouache paintings on pith paper depicting exotic Chinese birds. Each is lightly mounted on to paper and bordered with faded green silk. They appear to be foxed but it is just the backing paper that has foxed as you can see in my last photograph where I have slipped a clean piece of paper behind the pith paper. It should be an easy task to remove the fox... Click for details
A 19th (nineteenth)century China trade album of 10 good sized export paintings. Each leaf shows a stage in the process of making silk... from boiling the cocoons, spinning out the individual strands, winding into a "spool", dying the silk, drying, and finally to the merchant who buys the finished spools. It is a cottage industry process.
Approximately 12" by 8" sight; 14.5" by 10.5" album. Hard cover is in a maro... Click for details
A gorgeous 19th century China trade marine oil painting portrait of the 3 masted clipper ship Unity of Boston under full sail. Excellent details, including riggings and sail. Good wave action, and there is another ship on the horizon. You can see the reefing lines on the sails. She is flying the American ensign. Unsigned, most likely by a port artist in Canton or Shanghai; about 1850.
A lovely 1892 China trade oil painting portrait of the 3 masted clipper ship Woolton under full sail. It is by the Calcutta (India) Chinese port artist Lai Fong. Excellent details, including riggings and sail. You can even see the reefing lines on the sails. She is flying the red Britannia ensign and a house ensign topmost.
Launched 1885 May at the shipyard of Oswald, Mordaunt &
Co., for Sailing Ship Wool... Click for details
This is a fine 19th century Chinese export painting on silk of a seated noble lady with her attendant carrying a teapot. Her head gear has many jade and ruby beads, and her sleeves are adorned with dragons. She was of the reigning Manchu tribe, and married to a senior official. Image area is 7 1/2 by 10 1/2 inches. Picture is in pretty good condition except for a narrow tear 1/3 of the way from the left margin on top (see picture).
... Click for details
This is a fine 19th century Chinese export painting on pith paper of a seated mandarin with an attendant kneeling in front. He is wearing a peacock feather hat and a civilian rank badge of a crane on his chest, as well as a dragon on his robe. Pretty high up there in rank and also of the reigning Manchu tribe. Image area is 7 1/4 by 10 1/2 inches. Picture is in pretty good condition except for a little missing enamel on the shoulder of the attendant (see close-up). This type of painting is desc... Click for details
This is a charming China Trade export oil painting of a Chinese junk tied up at a villa on the water. There is a small sampan in the foreground and 2 little figures in front of the entrance. This is a fancy southern Chinese style building most likely in Canton. There is an old typewriter tag on the back which you can see from the picture. Image about 6 by 8 inches in a later 11 by 13 frame. Grey velour spaces the painting within the frame. The painting has been re-lined (pretty common for China ... Click for details
A good sized antique Chinese export painting on pith paper. It is an opera scene of a universal form of corporal punishment meted out before an exceited general, probably peremptory military justice. Could be a scene from Three Kingdoms. Great colors. Double matted in a nice frame, shop tag from Wellesley Massachusetts.
Framed: 17 3/4" x 14" ; sight 12' x 7 1/4". Very good condition, one short line near top ... Click for details
