A pair of miniature reverse-glass paintings of ladies in a landscape, in original maple wood frames

 

Canton, circa 1780

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H. 4,5 x W. 6.5 cm (painting)

H. 11.5 x W. 13.5 cm (including frame)

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In the last quarter of the eighteenth century, there arose a great demand for Chinese reverse-glass paintings in the West, mainly in England. Initially, the paintings were mostly of Chinese landscapes with Chinese figures, like the two small present paintings. Later, after about 1785, exact copies of European or American prints were ordered by Western clients, as reverse-glass paintings in China.