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Details
Chinese School, 19th Century
A Chinese album of watercolours of fish. [n.p. but ?Canton: n.d. but circa 1830?]. Oblong 2 (359 x 458mm). 38 FINE WATER- AND BODYCOLOUR DRAWINGS of Chinese fish and crustacea, identified (in characters) by their Chinese name, with occasional additional identifications in Latin in pencil. (Small repaired faults to 9 leaves.) Contemporary half calf (worn, covers detached, spine lacking, resewn).
A FINE COLLECTION OF CHINESE ICHTHYOLOGICAL STUDIES of both marine and fresh-water fish. 37 of the drawings are on undated 'J.Whatman' wove paper, the 38th is on wove paper watermarked 'John Hall'.
The subjects of the drawings have been identified as follows:
1. Apocryptes Serperoster
2. Ilisha elongata
3. Diodontidae [Porcupine fish]
4. Lateolabrax
5. Leucisus homospilotus (slightly browned)
6. Saurus argyrophones
7. Platessa chinensis
8. Sciena Lucida
9. Carassius sp. [Carp] (slightly browned, small hole)
10.Sciaenidae Cprvina Albiflora (125mm. repaired tear)
11.Hemibarbus ?
12.Hypophthalmichthys sp.
13.Solea ommatura
14.Coilia grayii (slightly browned, 55mm. repaired tear)
15.Boleophthalmus camppylostomus
16.Plagiusa auro-limbata
17.Clypea isingleana
18.Drepona puntata (small repaired hole)
19.Lateolabrax ?
20.Clupea caeruleo-vittata
21.Cyprinus rubro-fuscus
22.Sillago japonica (small repaired hole)
23.Scorpaenidae sebastes vachelli
24.Harpodon [Bombay Duck]
25.Diplorion bifasciatoni
26.Macropodus opercularis [Paradise fish]
27.Silurus sinensis [on 'John Hall' watermarked paper]
28.Ophicardia xanthognathia Monopterus javanicus
29.Carangidae
30.Harpodon [Bombay Duck (styllised)]
31.Inimicua Pelortigrinow
32.Crustacea [crabs] (small repaired hole)
33.Macrobrachium [shrimps]
34.Siganus [Rabbit fish]
35.Salangidae [Noodle fish]
36.Glossogobius [Goby]
37.Caressius auratus [Goldfish varieties]
38.Scorpaenidae pochycaphalus [Scorpion fish]
The collection is made up of particularly fine examples of the work of what had become a well-established tradition of almost exclusively anonymous Chinese artists, working in and around the coastal trading ports, producing work generally for Western consumption, more particularly the members of the East India and Dutch East India Companies. The best known collection of this type is probably that formed by John Reeves (1774-1856), now in the Natural History Museum in London: this collection dating from 1828-1830 shows a number of stylistic similarities with the present album.
A Chinese album of watercolours of fish. [n.p. but ?Canton: n.d. but circa 1830?]. Oblong 2 (359 x 458mm). 38 FINE WATER- AND BODYCOLOUR DRAWINGS of Chinese fish and crustacea, identified (in characters) by their Chinese name, with occasional additional identifications in Latin in pencil. (Small repaired faults to 9 leaves.) Contemporary half calf (worn, covers detached, spine lacking, resewn).
A FINE COLLECTION OF CHINESE ICHTHYOLOGICAL STUDIES of both marine and fresh-water fish. 37 of the drawings are on undated 'J.Whatman' wove paper, the 38th is on wove paper watermarked 'John Hall'.
The subjects of the drawings have been identified as follows:
1. Apocryptes Serperoster
2. Ilisha elongata
3. Diodontidae [Porcupine fish]
4. Lateolabrax
5. Leucisus homospilotus (slightly browned)
6. Saurus argyrophones
7. Platessa chinensis
8. Sciena Lucida
9. Carassius sp. [Carp] (slightly browned, small hole)
10.Sciaenidae Cprvina Albiflora (125mm. repaired tear)
11.Hemibarbus ?
12.Hypophthalmichthys sp.
13.Solea ommatura
14.Coilia grayii (slightly browned, 55mm. repaired tear)
15.Boleophthalmus camppylostomus
16.Plagiusa auro-limbata
17.Clypea isingleana
18.Drepona puntata (small repaired hole)
19.Lateolabrax ?
20.Clupea caeruleo-vittata
21.Cyprinus rubro-fuscus
22.Sillago japonica (small repaired hole)
23.Scorpaenidae sebastes vachelli
24.Harpodon [Bombay Duck]
25.Diplorion bifasciatoni
26.Macropodus opercularis [Paradise fish]
27.Silurus sinensis [on 'John Hall' watermarked paper]
28.Ophicardia xanthognathia Monopterus javanicus
29.Carangidae
30.Harpodon [Bombay Duck (styllised)]
31.Inimicua Pelortigrinow
32.Crustacea [crabs] (small repaired hole)
33.Macrobrachium [shrimps]
34.Siganus [Rabbit fish]
35.Salangidae [Noodle fish]
36.Glossogobius [Goby]
37.Caressius auratus [Goldfish varieties]
38.Scorpaenidae pochycaphalus [Scorpion fish]
The collection is made up of particularly fine examples of the work of what had become a well-established tradition of almost exclusively anonymous Chinese artists, working in and around the coastal trading ports, producing work generally for Western consumption, more particularly the members of the East India and Dutch East India Companies. The best known collection of this type is probably that formed by John Reeves (1774-1856), now in the Natural History Museum in London: this collection dating from 1828-1830 shows a number of stylistic similarities with the present album.