A rare set of twelve original watercolor paintings on pith (often mistakenly referred to as rice paper), Pith comes from the central column of a spongy cellular tissue in the stem of a small tree, Tetra Panax Papyifera, native to South-West China. It is cut by hand with a small, delicate knife into thin sheets of small size. The size is limited by the nature of the material and the process requires a highly skilled hand. The finished sheets are usually no more than 20cm X 30 cm. This set depicts twelve different river boats. They are among the rarest of the subjects that were painted. An original set of twelve is extremely rare and desirable. These were painted by a handful of highly skilled Chinese artists who were painting to sell to the Western market. Westerners were very curious about the Chinese way of life, but they were barred from contact with the Chinese people by the Chinese government. The exotic was an important part of American and European decor in the 18th and 19th centuries, so traders from America and Europe brought these paintings back as souvenirs of their travels and to sell to people back home. Now framed and protected in carefully chosen museum quality archival framing of Asian design to preserve these rare and delicate paintings , they are ready for hanging. They are framed as a pair of two sets of six each. The extremely fine images are 2-1/2" X 3-3/4" each and the overall frame sizes are 14" X 16" each. They are in excellent original condition with their original blue ribbon borders. Circa 1830-1850.To see all 12 photographs, see this and the next listing; item #7112232TB. We accept time payments and quantity discounts. ** WE GUARANTEE THE AUTHENTICITY OF OUR MERCHANDISE AS REPRESENTED. MEMBERS OF: THE ANTIQUES COUNCIL, THE CAPE COD ANTIQUE DEALERS ASSOCIATION (CCADA). ** 345-352BX

Art (paintings, prints, frames)
Asian Art