Page 36 - Bonhams Chiense Paintings New York July 21 2020
P. 36
36
WILLIAM SAUNDERS (1832-1892)
A wood-covered photo albumen prints, ca 1870
The massive leather binding enclosing a high relief
recessed boxwood panel depicting a wealthy family
in a lush garden setting, the album including 51
hand-tinted albumen prints each mounted above
type-written commentary about contemporary
Chinese society covering such topics as ‘AN
ITINERANT PIEMAN,’ ‘SHANGHAI COOLIES,’ and
‘DECAPITATION.’
16 X 21 1/2 x 3in (40.6 x 54.6 x 7.6cm) dimensions
of book
8 1/2 x 10 (20.6 x 25.4cm) dimensions of most
prints
US$5,000 - 8,000
Provenance
Christie’s Swire, Hong Kong, 9 October 1990, lot
1550
來源
香港佳士得，1990年10月9日，拍品編號1550
The British William Saunders opened one of
Shanghai’s first photography studios in the 19th
century. Unlike other examples of Saunders’
photography offered by Bonhams in the past, the
present lot is characterized by the addition of hand-
tinting to the photos. In some cases the tinting
adds details to the scene-- fanciful Chinese-style
writing on banners in the decapitation scene, and
a enhanced traditional physiognomy diagram in the
fortune telling scene for example.
36
34 | BONHAMS
