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| 131 A very fine reverse glass painting Circa 1760 Total dimensions: 19 1/8 x 29 1/8 in, 48.5 x 74 cm of a lady, sitting on a rock beneath large peonies beside a lake, on which two men row a boat, with buildings and pagodas in the distance. The young lady wears a pleated skirt, from which her tiny feet protrude, under a diaphanous white robe, and her elaborate hairstyle is fixed with flowers; she holds a closed fan in her right hand. Two pheasants play amid other flowers including lilies and chrysanthemum. Large plants grow from the terrace and form a frame for the looking glass: to one side is a fruiting, flowering pomegranate and to the other, bamboo and camellia; two birds perch in the plants. In a later European giltwood frame. |
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While glass paintings of ladies in landscapes are not uncommon, this example is rare in that it is composed to leave a large area of looking glass remaining while still retaining a detailed scene. The use of plants to form a surround for the glass is also unusual, but Child illustrates a similar example in World Mirrors 1650-1900, no. 817a, p. 350. |
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