Page 92 - Made For Trade Chinese Export Paintings In Dutch Collections

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roos boek 065-128 d

same in the picture of a high-ranking Mandarin,
recognisable by his dress and his headgear with a
peacock feather and his sitting position. All the
chairs and the facial expressions (with and
without moustache), however, are different. The
use of colours also varies. When examining the
Figures 3.10.a. and 3.10.b. we see that the artists
intended to paint a similar musical instrument,
but the scenery the lady is put in differs quite a
lot, as do the compositions. In the Figures
3.11.a. to 3.11.d. and in the Figures 3.12.a. to
3.12.d. with the boats and the flowers we
discover the same number of similar aspects as
aberrant ones. Lastly, the examples in the
Figures 3.13.a. and 3.13.b. show a scene of two
ducks in a landscape, identical but without any
doubt as different as can be. Thus, the variation
in details are to be found in: the adding of
different motifs; in presenting the figure on the
main stage (sitting or standing) with or without Fig. 3.10. Music- century, 34 x 22 cm, 12 images,
accessories and set in front of a blank backdrop, making women, Tropenmuseum/ anonymous, 1851-
floating in the centre of the paper or on a watercolour on pith Nationaal Museum 1856, 27 x 18.5 cm,
patterned carpet with decorative furniture; in the paper van Wereldculturen, SAB-City Archives
expression of the faces; in colour rendering; the a. From album with inv.no. TM-3728-483 and Athenaeum
composition of individual elements, etc. 12 images, (D005515). Library Deventer,
These paintings, although mass-produced, did anonymous, 19th b. From album with inv.no. DvT V.9.11.KL
not lose any of their strength as a form of visual
documentation at the time of the historical
China trade. The shift of a representation of a
figure from one medium to another is a common Fig. 3.11. Chinese anonymous, 1850, 38 anonymous, 1850, 38
practice when we look at the history of painting. riverboats, x 48 cm, Maritime x 48 cm, Maritime
The pictorial elements of an early print can be watercolour on pith Museum Rotterdam, Museum Rotterdam,
‘translated’ into a watercolour. This paper inv.no. P4411-10. inv.no. P4411-14.
‘translation’, mostly done by indivual hand- a. From album with b. From album with c. From set of 12,
work, required deliberate forethought and a 72 images, 72 images, anonymous, Sunqua
(?), 1830-1865, 21.5 x
30.5 cm, Museum
Volkenkunde/
Nationaal Museum
van Wereldculturen,
inv.no. RV-328-4e.
d. From set of 12,
anonymous, 19th
century, 20 x 29 cm,
Museum
Volkenkunde/
Nationaal Museum
van Wereldculturen,
inv.no. RV-2133-3i.