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ID #SA1181632
FOR SALE
£1,400
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Early C19th Chinese Export Trade Reverse Painted Mirror-glass Picture
For sale by M Lees and Sons
for sale €1,638     $1,778
£1,400
M Lees and Sons

M Lees and Sons

Sellingantiques Verified Since Feb 2013
Browse dealers 370 items
  • About Us
    M.lees & sons , 'tower house' , severn st., worcester wr12nb tel . 07860826218
  • Trade Associations
    M Lees and Sons is a registered member of LAPADA  CINOA
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Id #SA1181632
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Early C19th Chinese Export Trade Reverse Painted Mirror-glass Picture

19th century
For Sale by M Lees and Sons
Description

Early C19th Chinese Export trade reverse painted mirror-glass picture.

Depicting a female figure , probably a deity , in a boat with a child or attendant with a landscape behind. The silvered mirror plate with some atmospheric degradation and wear , the painting retaining it’s strong colours. The rectangular painting mounted in the original carved detail hardwood frame.

Paintings of this type were produced in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries in China for export to the West and Europe, and were highly sought-after to provide exotic fashionable oriental style to a western interior.

In excellent original condition with no cracks or repairs.

H 24”

W 16”

D 2”

China c.1820

Date of Manufacture

M Lees and Sons has dated this Chinese Reverse Glass Painting to the 19th Century.

Independent Date Guide ID 09271424
Dealer's Item Date19th Century
Sellingantiques Date19th Century
Sellingantiques agingItem 165-230 years old
ResultsDates match
Why Sellingantiques dated this piece to THE 19TH CENTURY:
Heavily mottled mirror plate: natural oxidisation built up over many decades.
Mineral pigments painted behind glass: traditional hand technique of the Canton trade.
Fine gilded roundels on the robe: delicate hand brushwork.
Carved bead slip in the hardwood frame: period export framing.
Small shrinkage gap at the mitre: natural movement of old timber.

This Independent Date Guide was compiled by Sellingantiques using its own proprietary system. It works only from the photographs shown on this page and is never told the date the dealer has declared. It is a guide, not a guarantee of age, and occasional errors can occur.

Physical Dimensions
Height
60cm (23.62")
Width
40cm (15.75")
Depth
5cm (1.97")
Reference Numbers
Sellingantiques Reference
SA1181632
Dealers Internal Reference
ML 2511
Dealers Notes

Established in the Cathedral City of Worcester for over 40 years ,M.Lees&Sons , run by Michael Lees ,have been dealing with public and trade from show-rooms in an early Georgian town-house. We aim to provide a straight-forward approach to our business and build lasting relationships with our customers. As members of the 'London and Provincial Antique Dealers Association' , we provide full descriptive details , date ,authenticity and any available provenance ,with full disclosure of any restoration or repair which may have taken place .

Whether buying for pleasure , decoration or investment, we welcome you to our web-site or premises .

Past projects have included advising clients on forming and disposing of collections , furnishing period properties , hotel and commercial projects , also a shoot-room and lodge .

All goods are available to view and owned by M.Lees & Sons .

If visiting, a telephone call prior is advisable as due to the demands of the business the show-room does not have regular hours . Please feel free to contact us if we can be of assistance . Our inventory on the website Selling Antiques .co.uk showcases our range of stock, whilst more items are available to view on our website. Please visit us on:

www.leesantiquesworcester.com.

Tel. 01905 26620 / 07860826218

Located in the centre of Worcester in the shadow of the Cathedral with easy parking nearby. Exit Junction 7 M5 and follow the signs for Worcester Porcelain Museum . Our premises are located 100 metres from the Museum and 50 metres from Pay&Display car-park in nearby King St.

Description
Early C19th Chinese Export trade reverse painted mirror-glass picture.
“
Depicting a female figure , probably a deity , in a boat with a child or attendant with a landscape behind.
M Lees and Sons

The silvered mirror plate with some atmospheric degradation and wear , the painting retaining it’s strong colours. The rectangular painting mounted in the original carved detail hardwood frame.

fig 1. An early nineteenth-century Chinese export reverse glass picture featuring a figure on a boat against a silvered mirror background, encased in a dark wooden frame with beaded inner moulding.
fig 1. Early C19th Chinese Export Trade Reverse Painted Mirror-glass Picture

Paintings of this type were produced in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries in China for export to the West and Europe, and were highly sought-after to provide exotic fashionable oriental style to a western interior.

In excellent original condition with no cracks or repairs.

H 24”

W 16”

D 2”

China c.1820

Date of Manufacture

M Lees and Sons has dated this Chinese Reverse Glass Painting to the 19th Century.

Independent Date Report ID 09271424
Dealer's Item Date19th Century
Sellingantiques dating19th Century
Sellingantiques agingItem 165-230 years old
ResultsDates match
Why Sellingantiques dated this piece to the 19th Century:
Heavily mottled mirror plate: natural oxidisation built up over many decades.
Mineral pigments painted behind glass: traditional hand technique of the Canton trade.
Fine gilded roundels on the robe: delicate hand brushwork.
Carved bead slip in the hardwood frame: period export framing.
Small shrinkage gap at the mitre: natural movement of old timber.

This is an independent date report produced by Sellingantiques using its own proprietary system. The process uses the photographs shown on this page. The system is never told the date the dealer has declared. This report shows that the two dates corroborate.

Height
60cm (23.62")
Width
40cm (15.75")
Depth
5cm (1.97")
Reference Numbers
Sellingantiques Ref
SA1181632
Dealers Internal Ref
ML 2511
M Lees and Sons
M Lees and Sons
Sellingantiques verified Since Feb 2013

M.lees & sons , 'tower house' , severn st., worcester wr12nb tel . 07860826218

Dealer Profile

You can view the stock and full dealer information on the M Lees and Sons Profile Page

Trade Associations

M Lees and Sons is a registered member of LAPADA  CINOA

PDF SHARE
SAVE
An early nineteenth-century Chinese export reverse glass picture featuring a figure on a boat against a silvered mirror background, encased in a dark wooden frame with beaded inner moulding.
1 / 17
Archive I An early nineteenth-century Chinese export reverse glass picture featuring a figure on a boat against a silvered mirror background, encased in a dark wooden frame with beaded inner moulding.

Early C19th Chinese Export Trade Reverse Painted Mirror-glass Picture

Archive II An early nineteenth-century Chinese export reverse glass picture featuring a figure on a boat against a silvered mirror background, encased in a dark wooden frame with beaded inner moulding. View II
Archive III An early nineteenth-century Chinese export reverse glass picture featuring a figure on a boat against a silvered mirror background, encased in a dark wooden frame with beaded inner moulding. View III
Archive IV Scale Reference for An early nineteenth-century Chinese export reverse glass picture featuring a figure on a boat against a silvered mirror background, encased in a dark wooden frame with beaded inner moulding.
Archive V An early nineteenth-century Chinese export reverse glass picture featuring a figure on a boat against a silvered mirror background, encased in a dark wooden frame with beaded inner moulding. View V
Archive VI An early nineteenth-century Chinese export reverse glass picture featuring a figure on a boat against a silvered mirror background, encased in a dark wooden frame with beaded inner moulding. View VI
Archive VII An early nineteenth-century Chinese export reverse glass picture featuring a figure on a boat against a silvered mirror background, encased in a dark wooden frame with beaded inner moulding. View VII
Archive VIII An early nineteenth-century Chinese export reverse glass picture featuring a figure on a boat against a silvered mirror background, encased in a dark wooden frame with beaded inner moulding. View VIII
Archive IX An early nineteenth-century Chinese export reverse glass picture featuring a figure on a boat against a silvered mirror background, encased in a dark wooden frame with beaded inner moulding. View IX
Archive X An early nineteenth-century Chinese export reverse glass picture featuring a figure on a boat against a silvered mirror background, encased in a dark wooden frame with beaded inner moulding. View X
Archive XI An early nineteenth-century Chinese export reverse glass picture featuring a figure on a boat against a silvered mirror background, encased in a dark wooden frame with beaded inner moulding. View XI
Archive XII An early nineteenth-century Chinese export reverse glass picture featuring a figure on a boat against a silvered mirror background, encased in a dark wooden frame with beaded inner moulding. View XII
Archive XIII An early nineteenth-century Chinese export reverse glass picture featuring a figure on a boat against a silvered mirror background, encased in a dark wooden frame with beaded inner moulding. View XIII
Archive XIV An early nineteenth-century Chinese export reverse glass picture featuring a figure on a boat against a silvered mirror background, encased in a dark wooden frame with beaded inner moulding. View XIV
Archive XV An early nineteenth-century Chinese export reverse glass picture featuring a figure on a boat against a silvered mirror background, encased in a dark wooden frame with beaded inner moulding. View XV
Archive XVI An early nineteenth-century Chinese export reverse glass picture featuring a figure on a boat against a silvered mirror background, encased in a dark wooden frame with beaded inner moulding. View XVI
Archive XVII An early nineteenth-century Chinese export reverse glass picture featuring a figure on a boat against a silvered mirror background, encased in a dark wooden frame with beaded inner moulding. View XVII
Enlarged Archival View
M Lees and Sons

M Lees and Sons
Telephone 07860 826218 or 01905 26620
Location
Tower House
1 Castle Place
Severn St
Worcester
WR1 2NB
United Kingdom
Dealer Profile Page sellingantiques.co.uk/mleesandsons
Verified Since Feb 2013
Items For Sale 370
Items Sold 1,603
M Lees and Sons
M Lees and Sons
Verified Since Feb 2013
View Dealer Info
Location: Tower House, 1 Castle Place, Severn St, Worcester, WR1 2NB, United Kingdom
Profile: sellingantiques.co.uk/mleesandsons
Verified
Feb 2013
For Sale
370
Sold
1,603
An early nineteenth-century Chinese export reverse glass picture featuring a figure on a boat against a silvered mirror background, encased in a dark wooden frame with beaded inner moulding.
Early C19th Chinese Export trade reverse painted mirror-glass picture
Ref: SA1181632
An early nineteenth-century Chinese export reverse glass picture featuring a figure on a boat against a silvered mirror background, encased in a dark wooden frame with beaded inner moulding.
Detail View 1
Detail View 2
Detail View 3
Detail View 4
Detail View 5
Detail View 6
Detail View 7
Detail View 8
Detail View 9
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Detail View 12
Detail View 13
Detail View 14
Detail View 15
Scale Reference
Archival Detail

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Cataloguer’s note

Written by Sellingantiques from the dealer’s photographs and listing
  • ObjectWall Art
  • Period19th century
  • StyleChinese Export
  • MaterialGlass, Hardwood, Pigment, Mercury Amalgam
  • ColourDark Brown
  • MotifsReverse glass painting, Beaded inner moulding, Figure in traditional robes, Silvered mirror background
  • SizeH 60 cm (24 in) x W 40 cm (16 in) x D 5 cm (2 in)

This early nineteenth-century Chinese export reverse glass picture depicts a female figure in a boat with an attendant against a silvered mirror background, set within a landscape. Produced for the Western trade, the rectangular artwork uses pigment on mirror-glass, showing atmospheric degradation and wear while retaining strong colours including blue, red, and white. It is mounted in its original carved dark brown hardwood frame with a beaded inner moulding and a hanging loop at the top. The piece measures 60 cm high, 40 cm wide, and 5 cm deep. It functions as wall art and is suited for placement in a home today above a sideboard.

FAQs

Reverse glass painting was an art form popularised in the 18th and 19th centuries, produced by Chinese artisans specifically for the Western export market, depicting traditional figures, landscapes, or mythological scenes painted onto the reverse side of glass or mirror panels.

Artisans applied pigments in reverse orderfine details first, background layers lastonto plain or partially silvered glass sheets, often utilising tin-mercury amalgam for the mirrored reflective areas and mounting the finished glass within native hardwood frames.

Authentic pieces typically exhibit hand-blown glass with subtle surface irregularities, characteristic flaking or oxidisation of the mercury silvering, hand-carved joinery on dark hardwood frames, and precise brushwork set behind the glass plane.

Position the piece as a focal accent on a neutral wall, above a console table, or within an eclectic room arrangement to contrast historic Asian trade art against contemporary furnishings.

Keep the artwork away from direct sunlight and high humidity, dust the wooden frame gently with a dry microfibre cloth, and avoid applying liquid glass cleaner directly onto the frame or aged glass surfaces.
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