Lot 18 A
18 A
A PAIR OF POLYCHROME-PAINTED PLASTER FIGURES of Chinamen in court dress with nodding heads, both holding ceremonial staffs, one leaning forward, on integral simulated marble square bases, one staff damaged, the staffs probably of later date, some decoration refreshed, early 19th Century

Details
A PAIR OF POLYCHROME-PAINTED PLASTER FIGURES of Chinamen in court dress with nodding heads, both holding ceremonial staffs, one leaning forward, on integral simulated marble square bases, one staff damaged, the staffs probably of later date, some decoration refreshed, early 19th Century
15¾in. (40cm.) high; one smaller (2)

Lot Essay

Similar chinoiserie figures were sold at Christie's Wateringbury Place House Sale, Maidstone, 31 May-2 June 1978, lots 200-204. The last of these was signed J. D. Gianelli, probably Dominica Gianelli (d.1841), assumed to be the son of the better known sculptor in plaster, J. B. Gianelli, of Piedmontese origin.

In Johann Zoffany's portrait of Queen Charlotte of England, painted circa 1765, a pair of such chinoiserie figures appear in the background.

Similar figures are found in Ca'Rezzonico, Venice and Piedmont (See: E. Quaglione, I1 Piemonte, 1966, pl.148).

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