Chinese School, Nineteenth Century; watercolour & gouache on pith paper; size: 22 x 32.5 cm.
£200 (inc. Uk delivery)
19th Century Chinese paintings in gouache or watercolour on pith were painted for European export. Light and easily transportable, especially in albums for safekeeping on long travels, they were popular as souvenirs, enjoying a heyday in the 1830s and 1840s.
Pith is an inherently fragile and delicate material well-suited to the intricate illustrative purposes it was often put. Made from the central column of spongy cellular tissue in the stem of a small tree called Tetrapanax Papyrifera, native to south-west China it has had a variety of uses, some going back many centuries. At the imperial court both men and women wore coloured flowers made from pith in their hair. For use in painting, it was cut by hand with a knife into thin sheets from short lengths of the spongy tissue. Its velvety texture and innate transparency rendered a special quality of luminosity to the painted design layers.
Shipping
Except for named exceptions, delivery is FREE for all prints and pictures in the UK Mainland.
Sculpture, Ceramics and Glass can be bought on-line but need to be collected from our Kent office, or we can give you a price for shipping on request.
International shipping is available on request and at cost.
You have 14 days from purchase to decide if you want to keep an artwork; this is provided that you notify us within seven days of receipt and return your purchase to us within fourteen days, if you wish to return it that cost is at your own expense.
Terms of Sale
Kymosie Gallery guarantees the authenticity and description of all works described on the site.
Any work purchased from the Kymosie Gallery website and shown not to be as described may be returned for a full refund of the net price paid and received by Kymosie Gallery, subject to the gallery being notified within 14 days of receipt by the customer and the work then being returned to the gallery undamaged and in the condition that it was supplied by the Gallery.
Condition
Good condition consistent with age and material (pith). The lower two corners have been infilled with Japanese paper.