A LARGE 18th CENTURY FRAGMENT OF A CHINESE SCHOOL 'PALACE' PAINTING 'THE SILK MERCHANT IN THE VILLAGE'

Ink, gouache and watercolor on paper, backed with paper
China, late 18th century

In the foreground of this large and colorful painting is a silk trader in his shop. He sells bales of silk but also shoes or other objects as we can see in his shop window. A group of merchants with more bales of fabric are approaching the shop in order to do some business. A curious neighbor is watching the scene from his terrace and further up we see a herdsman with his sheep. The village is busy with more people coming in at the upper area of the artwork.

The present artwork is made in the tradition of the Gengzhi tu, 'Illustrations of Ploughing and Weaving', depicting all aspects of Chinese rice-production and silk cultivation. The work was commissioned by Emperor Kangxi and was published in 1696, comprising woodblock prints by the court painter Jiao Bingzhen and accompanied by Kangxi's own poetry. The emperors Yongzheng and Qianlong also published such works, while Qianlong added the theme of the porcelain production to the two existing series. During the Qing dynasty, many versions of the production processes were published. Not only were they much sought after on the Chinese market, but they were also produced for Western buyers, to whose taste they were adapted.

This painting was part of a series that came from a castle in Czechoslovakia, the Museum of Applied Arts in Vienna has several of those panels displayed in their permanent exhibition - see online catalog for pictures of the presentation in the MAK.

Shape: Rectangular vertical shape
Dimensions: approx. 325 x 92 cm (measured at the maximum points)
Condition: Shows tears, creases, holes, stains and material loss
Provenance: Old Austrian Private collection, assembled in the 1930s to early 1950s

Literature comparison: Christie's, Asian Art, 20 - 21 May 2008, Amsterdam, lot 231. (for an album with watercolors, made in the tradition of the Gengzhi tu, dating to the 19th century)

十八世紀大型院躰水彩畫《山村衣料舖》
紙本水墨設色，紙本加固
中國，十八世紀晚期

在這幅生動活潑的山村生活圖前景中有一個布料鋪子，店裏掌櫃正在兜售生意。架子上有大包，桌子上有鞋子扇子等物。一個好奇的鄰居從他的陽台看熱鬧，遠處還有農民和他的羊。村子裏的人都在忙碌。

這件作品是采用“耕織圖â€的傳統而作，那幅作品裏可見中國水稻生產和絲綢種植的各個方面，由康熙皇帝委託創作，於1696年出版，由宮廷畫家焦秉真繪製，並附有康熙的詩歌。雍正皇帝和乾隆皇帝時期也創作了類似作品，而乾隆在現有的兩個系列中增加了瓷器生產的主題。在清代，許多版本的生產流程都被發布。他們不僅在中國市場備受追捧，而且還為西方買家生產，他們的口味也得到了調整。

這幅畫是捷克斯洛伐克城堡的一套作品的一部分，維也納藝術博物館也曾在其常設展覽中展出了其中的幾幅。
立軸
尺寸：約325 x 92 cm （測量時使用最大點）
品相與年代相符，有水跡、材料缺失
奧地利私人老收藏，上世紀三十年代至五十年代間購入
品相與年代相符，有水跡、材料缺失、小洞
奧地利私人老收藏，上世紀三十年代至五十年代間購入

文獻參考：佳士得《亞洲藝術》，2008年5月20-21日，阿姆斯特丹，231號拍品（意見來自十九世紀的《耕織圖》風格的水彩冊頁）