Pair of Chinese Paintings - Village Life

Description: This pair of antique Chinese watercolor paintings is from the Quing Dynasty or 18th or 19th century. Both paintings were stored for many years. They were recently purchased from a San Francisco, CA auction. Each painting was created using watercolor and ink on silk and mounted on cardstock with a light beige damask border. Each painting has a documented story of its origin. Both have profound messages of what it was like to be very poor during the Han dynasty in China (202 BC - 9 AD, 25-220 AD). This imperial dynasty was established by Liu Bang and ruled by the House of Liu. Paintings Details: Painting #1: Chinese peasant carrying a sack of food on his back A Chinese man wearing a blue and white costume and sandals is carrying a large white sack of grain on his back. Off in the distance is a bridge over water. He is walking down a village road of pink flowers with green leaves and dark green bushes. The roof of a village hut is at the bottom of the painting. The watercolor and ink painting is on silk with a light beige damask border that has a repeating pattern of flowers. The watercolors and ink are comprised of varying vibrant shades of brown, white, blue, green, gray and are the same likeness of other MIng and Quing dynasty paintings. The story accompanying this painting is on the backside of the frame. It says, "During the Chow Chueng You, (beginning of Reign 719-1122 B.C.) when a poor man had to eat poor food and carry rice for his parents over a long way. Years after his parents had passed away, he accumulated a great fortune, in a sigh he would say "'I would rather still eat my old food and carry rice for my parents, but even that I no longer can do'"." It is hard to determine if the unknown artist of this painting was inspired by a folktale or from real life events about a Han dynasty poor family living in a remote Chinese village. It appears that after the son's parents passed away, he acquired a great fortune, but would have rather been poor and his parents still alive enjoying life with him. This painting with damask border measures approximately 11 in X 9 in or 27.94 cm X 22.86 cm. Painting #2: Chinese peasants in a village garden A Chinese couple is standing in a village garden. The women is holding a baby in an orange costume. The woman has long black hair and is wearing a white and light blue costume and sandals. The man has black hair and is wearing a blue and white costume and sandals. The man is digging in the garden with a backhoe. A large tree with varying shades of brown with small red flowers stands between the village hut and the hill with weeds The watercolor and ink painting is on silk with a light beige damask border that has a repeating pattern of flowers. The watercolors and ink are comprised of varying vibrant shades of brown, white, blue, green, gray and are the same likeness of other MIng and Quing dynasty paintings. The story accompanying this painting is on the backside of the frame. It says, " In the Han dynasty, beginning Reign (23 - 201 B.C.) poverty struck Kuo Chu to the extent that his mother had to curtail her portion of food in order to feed his son. The man consulted his wife and dug a hole in the ground to bury the infant alive in order to reduce the number of items of consumption. ""A child is duplicable but a mother not", was the philosophy and sense of justice. During the digging, he got a piece of plistening gold; the following characters were found carved on it: - Heaven's gold to a pious son, a reward fair, neither can the government confiscate, nor the people share""." It appears that the child is saved from death because of the gold treasure found while the man was digging in the garden. It is hard to determine if the unknown artist of this painting was inspired by a folktale or from real life events about a Han dynasty poor couple living in a remote Chinese village. This painting with damask border measures approximately 11 in X 9 in or 27.94 cm X 22.86 cm. Please note that at there is a discoloration of approximately 0.5 in X 0.25 in or 1.27 cm X 0.64 cm located on the bottom center of the damask border Framing: Both paintings are framed with a glass front. Each wooden frame has a bamboo border. The back of the frame has an extra layer of brown paper covering the nails holding the painting mounted to cardboard backing to the frame. There is a black wire attached to hooks allowing you to hang the painting on a wall. Each framed painting is approximately 11.5 in X 9.75 in or 29.21 cm X 24.77 cm. Payment: Please plan on paying for your item within 48 hours of purchase. Shipping: Please allow 24-48 hours order processing time. 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Price: 465 USD

Location: Southborough, Massachusetts

End Time: 2024-08-25T15:28:58.000Z

Shipping Cost: N/A USD