Current Location: In storage
Titles
A Lady Dressing Up
Maker(s)
Sunqua
(Attributed)
Entities
Categories
Description
A watercolour drawing from the album 4165. This image depicts two Qing ladies in a domestic setting. The seated lady holds a green teacup. She wears a richly decorated blue robe adorned with dragon motifs and elaborate embroidery in orange, red, and gold. Her dark blue skirt has wave patterns and a yellow pleated hem. She wears an ornate headdress decorated with flowers and pearls. A young maid stands in front of her, wearing a brown robe with blue floral trim. She is holding a container that has a dian cui (kingfisher feathers) head dress for the lady. On the table next to the lady, there is a opened black lacquer box, likely containing more jewellery or cosmetic products. There is also a dark blue vase holding pink roses. 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 furniture's materials, the textiles' intricate designs, and the figures' individual facial characteristics. Previously described as "Manchu official".
Measurements and weight
Height: 365 mm
Width: 256 mm
Acquisition and important dates
Method of acquisition: Given
(1909)
by
Bothamley, Rev. H.
Note
Export album made for the Western market
School or Style
Chinese
Chinese export art
Chinese export watercolour
Materials used in production
Watercolour
Bodycolour
White highlights
Ink
Components of the work
Support
composed of
pith paper
Techniques used in production
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
Identification numbers
Accession number: 4165.9
Primary reference Number: 185623
Stable URI
Audit data
Created: Monday 10 October 2011
Updated: Thursday 28 August 2025
Last processed: Thursday 28 August 2025
Associated departments & institutions
Owner or interested party:
The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department:
Paintings, Drawings and Prints
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