Cantonese School
A Coral Tree – Erythrina cristagalli L.
Guangzhou (Canton), China: 1st Quarter 19th Century
Watercolor and gouache on paper
16.5 x 10.5 inches
Provenance: Armin B. Allen, 3 Bury Street, London
Sold, please inquire as to availability of similar items.
Coral Tree
Cantonese School Botanical Study
Cantonese School Botanical Study
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Sensitively rendered natural history of a Coral Tree (Erythrina crista galli L.) executed in the Western style adopted by artists in the port city of Canton (now known as Guangzhou), for export to the English market. These export paintings typically portrayed natural history subjects including Chinese cultivated flowers and indigenous birds, Chinese acrobats and trades, and renditions of trade ships in Chinese ports. Chinese export art combined the traditional Chinese approach with Western aesthetics concerning light, shadow and the inclusion of realistic detail. This particular work conforms to that style in its use of broad flat areas of color with subtle shading and delineation of the veining of the leaves.
Recently there has been increased in studying and collecting Chinese Export botanicals. For example the Peabody Essex Museum sponsored an exhibit in 2004, “Peonies on Paper: Chinese Export Botanical Painting.”
References:
“Peonies on Paper: Chinese Export Botanical Painting.” Peabody Essex Museum. 2004. http://pem.org/exhibitions/exhibition.php?id=21 (23 December 2004).