Page 198 - Sothebys Important Chinese Art 09/13/17

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194 PROPERTY OF A PRIVATE COLLECTOR
196 SOTHEBY’S
PORTRAIT OF A BEAUTY
QING DYNASTY, 19TH CENTURY

Chinese School, oil on canvas; depicted seated
with one arm poised on a table, hands clasping a
swathe of red silk, wearing a crisp blue silk robe
bordered with embroidered roses and butter ies,
the hardstone clasp suspending a string of pearls
and bright green jadeite beads, a pair of matching
jadeite and gold bangles on each wrist and jadeite
and gold triple-loop earrings, the long black hair
pulled up and secured with jadeite and oral hair
pins, the oval face of pale complexion with a slight
blush in the cheeks, the dark almond-shaped eyes
with direct, open gaze, wood frame
Height 25 in., 63.5 cm; Width 20¼ in., 51.4 cm

PROVENANCE

European Private Collection, acquired in China,
circa 1915.

The present subject has long been attributed
to one of the great beauties of Chinese culture,
the Qianlong emperor’s consort Xiang Fei, ‘The
Fragrant Concubine’ and to the nest European
painter in the imperial court, Giuseppe Castiglione
known as Lang Shining. Despite the evident
loveliness of the subject, it is more likely that
the painting represents a feminine ideal. Images
of awless, alluring women, painted in either
suggestive or passive attitudes were sought after
by the male elite.

$ 6,000-8,000

1915

194

PROPERTY FROM THE ESTATES OF PRICE AND
ISOBEL H. GLOVER

GARDEN PROMENADE
QING DYNASTY, 19TH CENTURY

Chinese School, oil on canvas, an elegant
domestic scene depicting family members
enjoying a leisurely stroll through a ne
ornamental garden with pavilions bordered by
varying fretwork, stone bridges zigzagging over
a placid waterway, and an impressive array of
foliage, framed
Height 30¾ in., 78 cm; Width 43⅞ in., 111.3 cm

PROVENANCE
Sotheby’s New York, 17th March 1984, lot 423.

$ 20,000-30,000

1984 3 17 423