Page 121 - Made For Trade Chinese Export Paintings In Dutch Collections
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Fig. 4.6. The roadstead What is remarkable about these sets is the (mandarins, women with their servants),
of Whampoa (from set detailed artistic execution given the particularly featuring a multi-coloured border with flowers,
of 4), anonymous, small format. (Figures 4.6. and 4.7.) At the time fishes and ‘valuables’. 25 I follow the idea of
oil on bone, c. 1810, of their production, around the turn of the Canadian curators of Asian art, Barry Till and
9.5 x 14 cm, National century, these sets, with a high commodity/ Paula Swart that pith paper painters probably
Maritime Museum export value (yet, almost every Western trader painted these leaf paintings, as “the style, subject
Amsterdam, took one at home), were meaningful and iconic, matter and the colours are often similar.” 26
inv.no. A.2068(06)b. emblematic of the historical China trade. Today, Their refined look is a result of soaking the tree
they still work as strong metaphors for this leaves in fresh water for about three weeks, prior
Fig. 4.7. The roadstead period in global history when Dutch-Chinese to painting. This caused, so Till and Swart state,
of Whampoa (from set trading contacts were flourishing. “the green of the leaf to disintegrate, resulting in
of 4), anonymous, Finally, the Amsterdam Museum owns a set the leaf skeleton to look like a fragile piece of
oil on copper, c. 1790, of four export oil paintings (Figure 4.8.) on the intricate gauze.” 27 The fabulously and skilfully
11 x 15 cm, National leaves of a Ficus Religiosa, a so-called Bodhi hand-painted tree leaves in the Amsterdam
Maritime Museum tree, or sacred fig – the tree under which the Museum wholly fit this description. They
Amsterdam, Shakyamuni Buddha was sitting when in the sixt probably functioned originally as elegant
inv.no. A.3229(02). century BC he first attained enlightenment at fans.
Bodh Gaya in India. This set includes a small
stick, with colourful images of birds, figurines - Sets of gouaches and watercolours
Looking at the sets executed in gouache, it is
appropriate to mention first the beautiful and
early produced sets featuring images of the
different stages of the production processes for
Chinese porcelain, growing tea or weaving silk.
The value and quality of the Dutch gouaches
with this subject matter are comparable to other
famous collections around the world, for
example, in the V&A in London, the Royal
Pavilion in Brighton, the British Museum and
the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem. In the
Fig. 4.8. Set of 4 (former) Netherlands, these kinds of late eighteenth- and
fans, anonymous, nineteenth-century gouache sets, with opaque
oil on Bodhi tree leaf, watercolours, can be found in the collections of
c. 1850-1900, inv.nos. the Ceramics Museum Princessehof,
clockwise: Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, Maritime Museum
KA 12523: 26 x 13.5 cm Rotterdam, and Museum Volkenkunde. 28 I will
(incl. small stick); deal with them in more detail in the following
KA 12524: 15.2 x 14.2 cm; section on genres with a Chinese subject matter.
KA 12525: 16.8 x 14.8 cm; In addition, The Hague Museon owns a
KA 12526: 18.5 x 15.5 cm, cohesive set of twenty watercolours of one- and
Amsterdam Museum. two-wheeled (covered-) wagons, sedans, mules,