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Chinese export painting painted on rice paper using the ink wash technique. It shows a woman collecting mulberry leaves and is part of a series on this theme. The mulberry leaf was a source of food for silkworms, with silk being one of the most important manufacturing sectors in China.
The so-called Chinese export paintings, created by Chinese painters in the 18th and 19th centuries to be sold in port cities such as Macao and Canton (modern-day Guangzhou), were one of the most popular methods of spreading information about the life and customs of the faraway land of China, and were constantly increasing in demand. Although the theme was China, the composition and the esthetic were adapted to western taste. The most common medium was rice paper, though rice had nothing to do with its composition.
Most of these paintings were part of book bindings and could only be viewed one at a time, so once they arrived in Europe their binding was removed, and they were used for decoration. This led to the loss of information about the artists and workshops that were listed inside their covers, though it is believed that this series came from the workshop of the painter Tingqua.

Details

  • Title: Collecting Leaves
  • Date Created: 1820/1870
  • Physical Dimensions: w190 x h280 mm
  • Type: Ink wash painting
  • External Link: CERES
  • Materials: Pigments, rice paper
  • Cultural Context: Guangzhou, China

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