Description:
This listing features a 19th-century Chinese export watercolor painting on pith paper (frequently referred to historically as "rice paper"). Hand-painted by a trade workshop artist during the late Qing Dynasty, the piece vividly captures a snippet of urban street life, a highly desirable genre among Western maritime traders and tourists visiting South China port cities. The vibrant composition portrays five dynamically posed figures engaged in a high-stakes street dice game.
The figures are depicted mid-action with expressive, lifelike body language. The uppermost man is shown leaning backward mid-stride while cast dice fall below his hand. The men wear traditional late Qing attire, including loose-fitting frocks in indigo blue, earth brown, slate gray, and cobalt blue, paired with wide-cropped trousers, cloth shoes, and traditional caps or shaved queues. The watercolor pigment is applied directly onto the delicate organic matrix of the pith plant, which gives the artwork its characteristic luminous, almost translucent tonal qualities. The painting is housed under glass in a vintage black wooden frame accented with an ornate beaded gilt inner liner and a wide silk mat board border.
Origin Area / Culture:
- China / South China Export Trade Workshop
- Chinese Qing Dynasty Culture
Date / Age:
- Late 19th Century (Circa 1850–1880)
Physical Dimensions & Weight:
- Framed Dimensions: 12.25" Height x 9.25" Width
- Total Weight: 1 lb. 6 oz.
Condition:
The watercolor pigments remain remarkably bright and visually well-preserved. The delicate organic pith paper backing shows minor age-related rippling, structural natural splitting lines on the far-left edge near the center figure, and light, scattered tan foxing spots across the background space. The protective glass cover is intact with no cracks or deep gouges. The black and gold wood frame shows light surface dust, superficial rubbing to the outer edges, and typical aging to the reverse mounting paper layer.
Disclaimer:
I am not an appraiser. All identifications regarding maker, materials, historical style, date, culture, and naming conventions are research-based opinions made entirely in good faith using the visible features of the item. Buyers are kindly encouraged to review all photographs carefully, do their own due diligence, and come to their own conclusions prior to bidding or purchase. Items are sold as-is.