Glass Painting
ca. 1760-1780 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This painting was done on the back of a sheet of glass. The viewer sees the picture by looking through the glass, so the artist - who works only on the back of it - has to paint everything in reverse.
The remarkably romantic setting and the man and woman in Chinese dress depicted here are clearly intended to appeal to Western taste. Europeans visiting China often bought such 'reverse glass painting' because it was ingenious and exotic. The glass, however, was not locally made and would have been imported from Europe.
The remarkably romantic setting and the man and woman in Chinese dress depicted here are clearly intended to appeal to Western taste. Europeans visiting China often bought such 'reverse glass painting' because it was ingenious and exotic. The glass, however, was not locally made and would have been imported from Europe.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Coloured pigment on glass, with gilt wooden frame |
| Brief description | Pap, China, glass |
| Physical description | This painting was done on the back of a sheet of glass. For the viewer to see the picture as it is the artist had to paint everything in reverse. Due to its clever and exotic quality reverse glass painting was often bought by Europeans visiting China. The glass, however, was not locally made but would have been imported from Europe. The remarkably romantic setting and the man and woman in Chinese dress depicted here is clearly intended to appeal to Western taste. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Credit line | Hon. Dame Ada MacNaghten Bequest |
| Summary | This painting was done on the back of a sheet of glass. The viewer sees the picture by looking through the glass, so the artist - who works only on the back of it - has to paint everything in reverse. The remarkably romantic setting and the man and woman in Chinese dress depicted here are clearly intended to appeal to Western taste. Europeans visiting China often bought such 'reverse glass painting' because it was ingenious and exotic. The glass, however, was not locally made and would have been imported from Europe. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | FE.26-1970 |
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| Record created | February 6, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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