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réf. 98101501 — Canton 1860-80's Cheungqua. A group of 7 pith or Tongcao color paintings usual minimal issues mostly clean & solid sold "as is" as a collection with the typical chips & a few fox spots else very good clean examples. A RARE GROUP ! . . . . A SUITE OF 7 FINE CHINESE COLOR PITH PAINTINGS . . . SHOWING BEAUTIFULLY DRESSED CHINESE WOMEN . . . PLAYING MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS . . . EXECUTED IN STUNNING & BRILLIANT COLORS . . . AKA: CHINESE EXPORT WATERCOLOURS . A group of typical "trade paintings" executed by Chinese native artists for foreign traders visiting Canton or Macao during the early to mid-19th century. . A SUPERB SUITE OF FABULOUS COLOR PITH PAINTINGS: A stunningly beautiful group of hand-painted color pith paintings depicting a woman playing a musical instrument. . "GOLDEN LOTUS" or "LOTUS FEET" BOUND FEET Chanzu: This like most illustrations of the period show the women with bound feet. Chanzu bound feet was an erotic obsession and fetish in ancient China. The erotic ramifications are outlined in the references below. . The paintings illustrate Chinese women in a domestic scene with furniture playing musical instruments. Subjects are: . a. Yue1in Ruan Moon Guitar Moon Zither 4 stringed . b. Yanqin Chinese Dulcimer . c. Sanxian three-stringed Chinese lute . d. Drumming on the back of a Chinese ceramic bowl . e. Dizi Chinese bamboo flute . f. Huqin Chinese violin . g. Tong Luo Chinese Brass Gong . DESCRIPTION OF THE PAINTING ART WORK AND CONDITION: . Each painting is in brilliant vivid and stunning colors. Each is skillfully painted with a fine hand delicate fine-point brush with great detail incredible reality texture and appeal. . As usual the set paintings were tipped to a contemporary backing period Each painting is backed with a contemporary stiff paper or a more current back card. . Items "a" & "b" are matted see cover.jpg & title.jpg photos posted to our website. . Each painting is approximately 21 x 34 cm. most have a blue silk ribbon border partial border or border lacking chipped and the like on has restorations on the verso in the margin only. . Each painting has some chips parts missing on the edges or with small holes here and there 'e' by and large the images are complete but some may have usual and often typical age-related cracks or splits a touch of fox spots on "c." . Suitable for framing & display. Please review photographs posted to our website for details. . "RICE PAPER" PAINTINGS: Several authors refer to this name rather than the proper name "Pith" paper paintings also can be called "Tung Tsao." . THE CANTON ARTIST OR 'SCHOOL' OF CHEUNG QUA: Cheung Qua was an export watercolor painter in Canton. He and followers of his school produced various single and albums of these paintings which were sold from his studio. . Often his in-house artists began painting on their own thus replicating the techniques subjects and essence of their masters. Because these paintings were rarely signed the one and only identification ever found was occasionally on the album cover or spine with the studio name. . Often these paintings were sold in various shops in Macao the main resting and gathering place of foreigners during part of the year. . REFERENCE: . CLUNAS Craig.: CHINESE EXPORT WATERCOLOURS. This entire book is devoted to Pith or Rice paper paintings. For musical instruments see color plates on pp.50-53 especially plates on pp.66-67 plates 39 & 40 are particularly similar to our examples that is to say by the same or an artist who was in the same house of Cheungqua or that school. CHU Arthur. et al.: ORIENTAL ANTIQUES AND COLLECTIBLES: A GUIDE pp.62-66. THE CHINESE PITH PAINTING COLLECTION AT THE NATIONAL LIBRARY OF AUSTRALIA: An Annotated Guide. Crossman Carl L. The decorative arts of the China trade : paintings furnishings and exotic curiosities. LEVY Howard S.: CHINESE FOOT BINDING: The History of a Curious Erotic Custom. . --. THE LOTUS LOVERS: The Complete History of the Curious Erotic Custom of Foot binding in China. JACKSON Beverly.: SPLENDID SLIPPERS: A THOUSAND YEARS OF AN EROTIC TRADITION. . . unknown