top of page
12 chinese watercolours 11 copy.jpg
12 chinese watercolours 10 copy.jpg
12 chinese watercolours 12 copy.jpg
12 chinese watercolours 07 copy.jpg
12 chinese watercolours 09 copy.jpg
12 chinese watercolours 08 copy.jpg
12 chinese watercolours 06 copy.jpg
12 chinese watercolours 05 copy.jpg
12 chinese watercolours 04 copy.jpg
12 chinese watercolours 03 copy.jpg
12 chinese watercolours 02 copy.jpg
12 chinese watercolours 01 copy.jpg

A SERIES OF TWELVE CHINESE PAINTINGS IN GOUACHE ON RICE-PAPER DEPICTING THE SILK PRODUCTION

 

Anonymous Chinese artist, 19th century

​

Each approx. 24.1 x 36.1 cm

​

The present series depicts:
- picking the mulberry leaves

- bathing the eggs
- the third moulting
- choosing the mature silkworms
- warming the trays
- heating the cocoons and reeling the threads 

- reeling the threads
- cleaning the threads
- warping
- dyeing
- drying
- weaving designs 

 

Note:

Depiction of scenes of silk, tea, rice and porcelain production has a long history in China. Already in the Southern Song dynasty a series illustrating rice farming and another one demonstrating the creation of silk, drawn by Lou Chou (1090-1162), are known. The artist’s original work is now lost, but many versions survive in several forms – engravings cut in wood or stone, watercolours and paintings.

Since there are twenty-three episodes in the traditional sequence of ‘silk’ scenes, and most export series were produced in sets of twelve, the latter scenes often combine two of the former.

bottom of page