‘PORTRAIT OF A LADY’, QING DYNASTYChina, 19th century. Oil on paper, framed in a silk brocade mount, and mounted as a hanging scroll. Finely painted with a beautiful lady seated in a chair and wearing long, loose-fitting robes, her right arm resting on a wooden table decorated with a coral-ground reverse-decorated 'bamboo' bowl and cover, her left holding a scroll with calligraphy. The face with a fine expression marked by alert eyes and pursed lips, the face flanked by beaded earrings, the smooth hair tied to the back, her hands with long fingernails and adorned with blue rings.Provenance: A Swedish private collection, acquired while employed at the Swedish embassy in Beijing between 1956-1957, and thence by descent in the same family.Condition: Good condition with some wear, minor staining, creasing, craquelure, and little loss to the paint, the mount with creasing and minor tears.Dimensions: Image size 54.4 x 41.6 cm, Size incl. mounting 76 x 50.7 cmFrom the late sixteenth century onwards, the newly enriched merchant class in China sought to spend its fortunes on a variety of amusements. There were wine shops, pleasure boats, and numerous luxury products, and all of these intersected with the rise of the courtesan culture. Beautiful, intelligent, and cultured young women skilled in music, literature, painting, singing, dancing, and conversation became sought-afterpanions for men of means.Portraits of idealized beauties were popular throughout the Qing dynasty. They conjured up the essence of feminine grace and attraction. Some do not represent real persons, but rather a romanticized version of the perfect, ideal woman. This specific genre was originally made for the domestic market only.The reverse-decorated 'bamboo' bowl and cover found on the table next to the lady show a popular design from the 18th century, notable for the beautifully executed drawing of bamboo in reserve, which creates a sharp and pleasing contrast between the iron-red enamel and the white porcelain.Auction resultparison:Type: Closely relatedAuction: Christie’s Paris, 12 June 2019, lot 69Price: EUR 10,625 or approx.EUR 12,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writingDescription: Anonymous (China, Qing dynasty, 19th century), Portrait of a young womanExpert remark:pare the closely related motif andposition. Note the size (66 x 51 cm), and wooden frame.Auction resultparison:Type: Closely relatedAuction: Galerie Zacke, Vienna, 11 March 2022, lot 544Price:EUR9,480 at the time of writingDescription: ‘Lady with qin’, Qing dynastyExpert remark:pare the closely related motif andposition. Note the size (65.3 x 50.5cm), and wooden frame.清代《美人圖》中國，十九世紀，紙本油畫，掛軸。美人坐在椅子上，身著寬鬆長袍，右臂擱在木桌上，桌上飾有珊瑚紅地竹紋蓋碗，右手托腮，左手執書，面容優雅，佩戴串珠耳環，光滑的頭髮束在腦後，雙手留著長長的指甲，戴著藍色的戒指。