Lady in Blue Robe, Antique Chinese Reverse Glass Painted Portrait

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A young woman tilts her head and meets the viewer's eye, one hand lifted to her chin and the other … Read more A young woman tilts her head and meets the viewer's eye, one hand lifted to her chin and the other holding a folded sheet of paper. Her blue silk robe is scattered with gilt flower sprays, with coral and cream sleeve linings, a red and black collar and a gold bracelet at the wrist. Her hair is dressed high with a crescent pin and ornaments that hang in fine strands beside her face, all set against a deep teal-blue ground. This portrait is painted in reverse on glass in the manner of the Canton export studios of southern China, where artists laid in the face and fine details first and the background last, so that the finished picture is seen through the glass. The surface has the soft depth that only this technique gives, with gold leaf catching the light across the robe.

At 26 inches tall in its dark wood frame with a brass hanger, it hangs above a console, a sideboard or a bed, or leans on a shelf or a mantel. The teal ground pairs with warm wood, brass and terracotta, and it is a strong anchor for a wall of mixed art.

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