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Lot Essay
Although glass was widely used in ancient China, the technique of producing flat glass in China was not accomplished until the 19th Century. Even in the imperial glass workshops, set up Peking (Beijing) in 1696 under the supervision of the Jesuit Kilian Stumpf, window glass or mirrored glass was not successfully produced. As a result, from the middle of the 18th century onwards, when reverse glass painting was already popular in Europe, sheets of both clear and mirrored glass were sent to Canton from Europe. Chinese artists, who were already expert in painting and calligraphy, took up the practice of painting in oil on glass, tracing the outlines of their designs on the back of the mirror plate and, using a special steel implement, scraped away the mirror backing to reveal the glass that could then be painted. The glass paintings were purely made for export, and initially depicted bucolic landscapes, frequently with Chinese figures at various leisurely pursuits. The demand for such paintings was fueled by the mania in Europe for all things Chinese, and they were commonly placed in elaborate Chippendale or chinoiserie frames.
The practice of painting on mirrors developed in China after 1715 when the Jesuit missionary Father Castiglione arrived in Peking. He found favor with the Emperors Yang Cheng and Ch’ien Lung and was entrusted with the decoration of the Imperial Garden in Peking. He learned to paint in oil on glass, a technique that was already practiced in Europe but which was unknown in China in the 17th century. Chinese artists, who were already expert in painting and calligraphy, took up the practice, tracing the outlines of their designs on the back of the mirror plate and, using a special steel implement, scraping away the mirror backing to reveal the glass that could then be painted. Common designs included still lives, birds and groups of figures, usually depicted against backgrounds of rivers or pavilions. A Chinese mirror painting in the Gerstenfeld Collection with almost identical mustic-playing figures, possibly painted in same workshop, is illustrated in E. Lennox-Boyd, ed., Masterpieces of English Furniture: The Gerstenfeld Collection, London, 1998, p. 64, pl. 48 and p. 235, cat. 86. A pair of reverse-glass mirrors depicting figures within a landscape and very similar to these mirrors was recently sold in the Collection of Kenneth Neame, Christie's, London, 13 June 2018, lot 10 (£112,500, including premium).
THE PROVENANCE
These superb mirror paintings belonged to Sir James Horlick, 4th Baronet (d. 1972), whose family had invented the malted drink bearing their name. He assembled a notable collection of eighteenth century English furniture and had a particular passion for Chinese design. The collection included a remarkable group of mirror paintings, many of which were sold at auction in 2007, as well as 18th century japanned and lacquer furniture, highlighted by three important commodes from Harewood House. The collection furnished Achamore House, his home on the tiny Isle of Gigha in the Scottish Western Isles three miles off the mainland and was featured in a 1958 Connoisseur article devoted to the collection entitled 'Chinoiserie in the Western Isles, the Collection of Sir James and Lady Horlick'.
The practice of painting on mirrors developed in China after 1715 when the Jesuit missionary Father Castiglione arrived in Peking. He found favor with the Emperors Yang Cheng and Ch’ien Lung and was entrusted with the decoration of the Imperial Garden in Peking. He learned to paint in oil on glass, a technique that was already practiced in Europe but which was unknown in China in the 17th century. Chinese artists, who were already expert in painting and calligraphy, took up the practice, tracing the outlines of their designs on the back of the mirror plate and, using a special steel implement, scraping away the mirror backing to reveal the glass that could then be painted. Common designs included still lives, birds and groups of figures, usually depicted against backgrounds of rivers or pavilions. A Chinese mirror painting in the Gerstenfeld Collection with almost identical mustic-playing figures, possibly painted in same workshop, is illustrated in E. Lennox-Boyd, ed., Masterpieces of English Furniture: The Gerstenfeld Collection, London, 1998, p. 64, pl. 48 and p. 235, cat. 86. A pair of reverse-glass mirrors depicting figures within a landscape and very similar to these mirrors was recently sold in the Collection of Kenneth Neame, Christie's, London, 13 June 2018, lot 10 (£112,500, including premium).
THE PROVENANCE
These superb mirror paintings belonged to Sir James Horlick, 4th Baronet (d. 1972), whose family had invented the malted drink bearing their name. He assembled a notable collection of eighteenth century English furniture and had a particular passion for Chinese design. The collection included a remarkable group of mirror paintings, many of which were sold at auction in 2007, as well as 18th century japanned and lacquer furniture, highlighted by three important commodes from Harewood House. The collection furnished Achamore House, his home on the tiny Isle of Gigha in the Scottish Western Isles three miles off the mainland and was featured in a 1958 Connoisseur article devoted to the collection entitled 'Chinoiserie in the Western Isles, the Collection of Sir James and Lady Horlick'.