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A Chinese Dignitary Riding a Fish (one of eleven panels with Chinoiserie decoration)
Robinson, Robert - Enlarge image
A Chinese Dignitary Riding a Fish (one of eleven panels with Chinoiserie decoration)
- Object:
Oil painting
- Place of origin:
London (possibly, made)
- Date:
ca. 1696 (made)
- Artist/Maker:
Robinson, Robert (artist)
- Materials and Techniques:
oil and tempera on panel
- Credit Line:
Presented by Art Fund
- Museum number:
P.12-1954
- Gallery location:
In Storage
Object Type
This is one of a set of 11 Chinoiserie panels (Museum nos. P.6 to 16-1954) that was acquired by the Museum in 1954. It is not known which house they were originally intended for, but they relate closely to a set of similar panels painted in 1696 for a house in Botolph Lane, London.
People
Very little is known about the painter and printmaker Robert Robinson and not much of his work survives, apart from the two sets of panels. The panels' dramatic quality may be attributable to Robinson's work as a scene painter for the theatre.
Subjects Depicted
Throughout the 17th century goods from East Asia were highly fashionable. However, these painted panels are one of the earliest manifestations of Chinoiserie. The term denotes purely decorative fantasies produced by European artists and based roughly on East Asian themes, as opposed to imitation of true Chinese forms in such techniques as lacquer work. In these panels all manner of whimsical grotesques are mingled with reminiscences of Chinese, Tartar, and Indian themes.
