Chinese School

Dessins originaux chinois. Early nineteenth century

9 volumes, folio (533 x 405mm.), 338 mounted watercolour drawings of flowers, fruit, birds and insects, junks, punishments, professions and customs, nineteenth century green half morocco over marbled boards, spine gilt, brown morocco labels, occasional offsetting and light soiling to a few plates, some toning, minor wear to marbled boards

A REMARKABLE COLLECTION OF CHINES🐬E SCHOO🍌L WATERCOLOURS.

A rich multi-volume collection of exceptionally fine Chinese wat෴ercolours. With an outstanding variety in subject matter, the collection exhibits flowers in two volumes (78), natural history in two volumeꦚs (61), professions and customs in three volumes (130), punishments (23) and junks (46). The watercolours exhibit the work of a number of different highly skilled hands. Chinese naval scenes are delicately rendered, along with gruesome depictions of the Chinese penal code, male and female jobs and duties, and Asian fruits, flowers and wildlife. The natural history watercolours exhibit Indian influence in style and subject. The mango, native to India, is presented, along with ornithological subjects in a Northern Indian style.

Winifred Bois was the daughter of Frederic William Bois, (1848-1921), an amateur photographer who exhibited at the Paris Exhib﷽ition of 1900, and whose family had 🌱held a prominent place in the mercantile life of Ceylon since the 1860s. Winifred travelled extensively in the Far East. She collected Chinese school watercolours (see lot 293).

PROVENANCE:

Winifred Bois, bookplate