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Woman with a book
Sunqua (Attributed)
This image depicts two Qing ladies in a domestic setting. On a chair made of twig, the seated lady wears an elaborate dress that features a blue and multi-coloured patterned robe with pleated skirt panels. Her turquoise headdress is made with kingfisher feathers. She is reading a book and showing it to her maid standing next by. The maid wears a simpler orange and black outfit and holds a round fan painted with bamboo. In the background, there is a wooden table with a blue vase containing yellow chrysanthemums and a dish of Buddha's hand. The painting is executed in the style typical of Chinese export art from around the late 18th or early 19th century, with careful attention to details in the clothing, furniture, and domestic objects. The style combines Chinese painting techniques with elements designed to appeal to Western tastes, particularly in the detailed rendering of the figures' elaborate costumes and the interior setting accessories. Previously described as "woman with a book".
Height: 365 mm
Width: 256 mm
Method of acquisition: Given (1909) by Bothamley, Rev. H.
19th Century
Circa
1830
-
Circa
1870
Export album made for the Western market
Chinese
Chinese export watercolour
Chinese export art
Watercolour
Bodycolour
White highlights
Ink
Support composed of pith paper
Drawing : Watercolour, bodycolour, and ink with heightening in white, gold and silver on pith paper, laid down with with strips of blue silk-covered paper
Accession number: 4165.3
Primary reference Number: 185617
Stable URI
Owner or interested party:
The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department:
Paintings, Drawings and Prints
This record can be cited in the Harvard Bibliographic style using the text below:
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IIIF Manifest
The Fitzwilliam Museum (2025) "Woman with a book" Web page available at: https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/185617 Accessed: 2025-04-21 14:43:08
To cite this record on Wikipedia you can use this code snippet:
{{cite web|url=https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/185617
|title=Woman with a book
|author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2025-04-21 14:43:08|publisher=The
University of Cambridge}}
To call these data via our API (remember this needs to be authenticated) you can use this code snippet:
https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/api/v1/objects/object-185617
To use this as a simple code embed, copy this string:
<div class="text-center">
<figure class="figure">
<img src="https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/pdp/pdp82/4165_283_29_201106_amt49_dc2.jpg"
alt="Woman with a book"
class="img-fluid" />
<figcaption class="figure-caption text-info">Woman with a book</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
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