Winter Scene with Mandarins and Attendants

China, Qing, 18th century
Dimensions: 34 3/4″(88.1cm) W, 35 3/8″(89.8cm) L
Ink and Watercolor on Paper

Chinese Export style, ink and watercolour on paper, canton school depicting a winter scene with well painted architectural elements of pavilions and a residential gateway front of which a large crowd has formed including several mandarins, attendants in winter costume, either greeting or seeing off a figure in travelling clothes on the left. This style of genre painting was typical of the period 1750 to approximately 1800, made largely for export market in the manner of wall paper for English and European great houses which would decorate at least one room in the Chinoiserie mode. Given the subject, it is likely that it is from a suite showing 4 seasons, painted as inserts into more densely decorated wall papered landscapes. Very few survive intact given the fragility of the paper medium as opposed to the late oil on canvas China Trade painting of the early 1800’s. The painters were given wide freedom of choices of subject in many cases, and this scene may be taken from the popular literature (e.g. Hong Loumeng) or an interpretation of a poem, but the exact scene is not known.

清乾隆 出口冬日赏雪图