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73 - FIXED MIRROR UNDER GLASS, CHINA, QING DYNASTY, SECOND HALF O…
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Estimate €6,000 - €8,000
Sale commission
Description
FIXED MIRROR UNDER GLASS, CHINA, QING DYNASTY, SECOND HALF OF 18th CENTURY Decorated with a standing immortal, holding a ruyi sceptre, richly dressed, accompanied by a deer, among flowering branches in a wooded landscape, the upper part animated by a phoenix in flight, mahogany frame, brass clasp, on the reverse inscription in black ink: "Given by me (...) Mme de Rambault to my granddaughter and goddaughter Céleste (...) L'orient le 18 mai 1798". Handwritten label: "In 1887, bequeathed by his paternal grandmother, Alexandrine Françoise de Parscault du Plessis, Countess de Gestas (wife of the Consul General of France in Brazil), to Gaston, Count de Gestas de Lespéroux (...) for his brother Aymeric de la (...) à la tête (...)". [on the side] to their grandmother; small chip in the upper right-hand corner Dimensions (unframed): 68.3 × 39.5 cm (26 ¾ × 15 ½ in.) Dimensions (with frame): 76.7 × 47.9 cm (30 ¼ × 18 ¾ in.) Provenance: Alexandrine Françoise Marie du Plessis Parscault, Countess de Gestas (1801-1832), Marquise de Lespéroux (1832-1887), wife of the Consul General of France in Brazil, Aymar de Gestas de Lespéroux (1786-1837), according to the handwritten label on the back; His grandson, Gaston de Gestas de Lespéroux (1858-1931). A reverse mirror painting, China, Qing dynasty, second half of 18th century Reverse mirror painting was a singular form of export art in the Qing dynasty. Created by painting in reverse on a glass surface whose reflective layer has been partially removed, it combines the painted image with mirrored areas, creating a subtle interplay between reality and illusion, in which the viewer can see his or her own reflection integrated into the composition. Introduced from Europe at the end of the Ming period, this technique developed rapidly in Canton in the 18th century, the main centre of production. Here, craftsmen adapted imported materials - mirrors made in England, France or Italy - to Chinese pictorial skills, giving rise to a hybrid art form largely destined for export. The present mirror is a fine example of this cultural encounter: a female figure with Western features, dressed in Chinese style and accompanied by a deer, a symbol of longevity, treated using a technique that combines Western modelling effects with a Chinese sense of decoration.
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About the sale Furniture and Works of Art - Evening Sale (Lot 1-170)
Auction location
Auction time 06/16/2026 at 5:00 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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