Seguidores de Lam Qua (林官) o Sunqua

China Export School (Chinese Export Painting) - Guangzhou Port Workshop (Canton).Period: 19th Century (After 1843, Qing Dynasty).Technique: Oil on canvas.Style: Commercial Chinoiserie / Export Art.HISTORICAL-ARTISTIC DESCRIPTIONOrigin and European Models:This oil painting faithfully follows the composition of the steel engraving originally produced by the renowned British architect and illustrator Thomas Allom, published around 1843 in the famous encyclopedia work “China, in a Series of Views.” The original engraving was based on previous sketches illustrating daily life, customs and architecture of the enigmatic Asian empire to satisfy Victorian-era European society.Arguments for Attribution (Local Authorship / Chinese Workshop):The existence of this oil-on-canvas scene is a direct testament to the dynamic copy and trade workshops in Canton. Although the spatial composition and perspective derive from Allom’s Western engraving, this piece was executed with full confidence by a Chinese painter or their specialized workshop, based on the following technical factors:Technical Hybridization: The use of oil on canvas was an entirely Western technique that Cantonese painters assimilated perfectly to create marketable paintings for ships of the East India Companies.Workshop Structure: During the 19th century, Cantonese workshops (with masters known as Lamqua or Sunqua) operated in a semi-industrial production regime. One workshop artist specialized in architectural backgrounds, another in faces, and a third in garments. This explains the great precision in the patterns of Qing imperial attire and furniture, which the local painter knew firsthand.Labeling/Process of Cultural Inversion: While Europe copied Asian motifs for mere aesthetics (chinoiserie), Chinese workshops appropriated the European gaze on them (Allom’s engraving) and “returned” it reconverted into a high-quality oil painting.ICONOGRAPHY AND VISUAL ANALYSISThe scene is divided into three well-structured planes that capture the refinement of the court:The Central Spectacle: Two acrobats or jugglers perform a display of physical dexterity on the courtyard floor, wearing light costumes, closely supervised by a musician with a traditional gong.Audience of Officials: On both sides, high imperial officials (mandarins) rest on elaborately carved dark lacquered ceremonial chairs. They are dressed in their official robes, conical hats with rank adornments, and long queue hairstyles regulated in the Manchu era.The Architectural Setting: The background features a classical palace complex of open pavilions with supporting columns, ornately curved roofs and balustrades, highlighting the status and importance of the dignitary presiding over the event. China Trade School. Attributed to the circle or followers of Lam Qua (林官) or Sunqua.Period: Qing Dynasty, First half of the 19th Century (circa 1840-1850).Technique: Oil on original period canvas.Dimensions: 62 x 82 cm (Large for this historical period).State of conservation: Excellent - Very good. The canvas retains its original tension on the antique wooden stretcher with central crossbar. It shows noble, fine and natural craquelure, homogeneous across the surface, characteristic and witness to its more than 170 years of age. It has not been relined, preserving its reverse intact. The gilded wooden frame shows minor wear typical of age. provenance: European private collection. The reverse carries the old inventory manuscript mark “P56,” reflective of its inclusion in testamentary records or catalogues of renowned collections of the 20th century. China Trade School. Attributed to the circle or followers of Lam Qua (林官) or Sunqua.Period: Qing Dynasty, First half of the 19th Century (circa 1840-1850).Technique: Oil on original period linen canvas.Dimensions: 62 x 82 cm (Large for this historical period).State of conservation: Excellent - Very good. The canvas retains its original tension on the antique wooden stretcher with central crossbar. It shows noble, fine and natural craquelure, homogeneous across the surface, characteristic and witness to its more than 170 years of age. It has not been relined, preserving its reverse intact. The gilded wooden frame shows minor wear typical of age.Provenance: European private collection. The reverse bears the antique inventory handwritten mark “P56,” reflecting its inclusion in testamentary records or catalogues of distinguished collections of the 20th century.Expert Note / Historical CataloguingMagnificent and rare large-format oil on canvas (62 x 82 cm) belonging to the peak period of Chinese Export Painting (China Trade Paintings) produced in the historic Canton port workshops (Thirteen Factories) during the Qing Dynasty.Compendium and IconographyThe work immerses the viewer in the private and institutional life of imperial aristocracy. The composition is directly inspired by the famous engravings that the British illustrator Thomas Allom published in 1843 (China, in a Series of Views), specifically his iconic print “Jugglers Exhibiting in the Court of a Mandarin's Palace.”The scene unfolds with fascinating dynamism:The Imperial Court: On the right, a high-ranking Mandarin, recognizable by his official crimson robe and the regulation conical hat topped with a knob, presides over the reception alongside his counselors and court ladies dressed in refined silks. On the left, a group of civil officials and literati observe the function while one of them holds a manuscript.The Central Spectacle: Two traditional artists (acrobats/jugglers) perform balance exercises in the palace interior courtyard, flanked by a musician keeping time with a traditional tambourine.Architecture and Perspective: The scene is framed by the imposing wooden columns and the polychrome curved roofs of the palace, executed with a suggestive blend of Western linear perspective and the bidimensional charm of Qing traditional art.Importance in the Art MarketCompared with the usual inlaid furniture, lacquers, or fragile rice-paper (pith paper) souvenir paintings, oil on canvas in this format and quality were commissions of great prestige. They were made for captains of commercial ships, diplomats or Western aristocrats who wished to display in Europe the refinement of Eastern customs under the chic of Chinoiserie. The complete integrity of its reverse (preserving the original stretcher, wooden wedges and the natural darkening patina of the linen fibers) makes this piece an exceptional investment opportunity for international collectors of 19th-century Asian art. Note: “To ensure the safety and perfect condition of the work, depending on its volume and nature, the transportation and delivery may be carried out by the seller.” #exceptionalart26

估價:$3,025.53

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