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,
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