Chinese School, 19Th Century

Chinese School, 19th century
An album of watercolours of fish on pith paper. [?Canton: early 19th century]. Oblong 4° (220 x 292mm). 12 original watercolour drawings of groups of fish (visible sheet size: 172 x 248mm), most heightened with ground mother-of-pearl or mica, on pith paper, mounted onto the leaves of the album using blue silk ribbon to form a border. (All with some minor splitting or old worming affecting the pith sheets, generally unobtrusive.) Chinese red figured silk over limp boards, woven ribbon ties, modern green cloth box, green morocco label on 'spine'.
A good series produced for the Western market, and presented in a contemporary Chinese album. Each watercolour depicts three or more fish, including both fresh- and salt-water species (goldfish, perch, catfish, wrasse, roach, dace, etc.). The fish are given a certain luminescence by the use of highlighting with powdered nacre or mica, bringing each fish into sharp contrast with the soft matt background of the pith paper.