Unieke Antieke Chinese Aquarel op Pitpapier – Ca. 1850 – Ingelijst (30 x 20 cm) - Unknown artist - China - Qing Dynasty (1644-1911)

Description:

For sale: a beautiful and authentic piece of Asian history. This is an original 19th-century Chinese watercolor on pit paper (often wrongly called rice paper) from the Qing Dynasty (circa 1850–1900).
This type of art was created in the 19th century by skilled craftspeople in port cities such as Canton (Guangzhou) as an exclusive export souvenir for Western traders and travelers.

Feature Details
Origin China (Canton / Guangzhou)
Period Qing Dynasty (19th century, circa 1850 - 1900)
Technique Completely hand-painted with refined watercolor/gouache
Support/Surface Authentic, very delicate pit paper
Dimensions approx. 30 x 20 cm (including frame)
Depiction Traditional Chinese figures (perhaps a scene from Chinese opera or justice) around a beautifully detailed table.
Condition The painting is in its original vintage frame behind glass. The colors remain exceptionally bright and vivid. As is almost always the case with this extremely fragile material, there are light signs of aging: the paper has a small tear/crepe line on the left side and the corner of the frame shows some vintage wear (see the detail photos).

Why is this special?
Pit paper is hand-made from the ultra-thin pulp of the Tetrapanax papyrifer plant. Because watercolor seems to soak into the material, the colors acquire a unique, almost three-dimensional clarity that still jumps off the paper after more than a century. Because the material is extremely delicate, preserved examples are scarce and highly sought after by collectors of Asian art (Asiatica).