Skip to main content
Bonhams
Search
Previous Lot
Next Lot
A rare set of twenty-four paintings of Chinese musical instruments 19th century (24) image 1
A rare set of twenty-four paintings of Chinese musical instruments 19th century (24) image 2
A rare set of twenty-four paintings of Chinese musical instruments 19th century (24) image 3
A rare set of twenty-four paintings of Chinese musical instruments 19th century (24) image 4
A rare set of twenty-four paintings of Chinese musical instruments 19th century (24) image 5
A rare set of twenty-four paintings of Chinese musical instruments 19th century (24) image 6
A rare set of twenty-four paintings of Chinese musical instruments 19th century (24) image 7
A rare set of twenty-four paintings of Chinese musical instruments 19th century (24) image 8
A rare set of twenty-four paintings of Chinese musical instruments 19th century (24) image 9
A rare set of twenty-four paintings of Chinese musical instruments 19th century (24) image 10
A rare set of twenty-four paintings of Chinese musical instruments 19th century (24) image 11
A rare set of twenty-four paintings of Chinese musical instruments 19th century (24) image 12
A rare set of twenty-four paintings of Chinese musical instruments 19th century (24) image 13
A rare set of twenty-four paintings of Chinese musical instruments 19th century (24) image 14
A rare set of twenty-four paintings of Chinese musical instruments 19th century (24) image 15
A rare set of twenty-four paintings of Chinese musical instruments 19th century (24) image 16
A rare set of twenty-four paintings of Chinese musical instruments 19th century (24) image 17
A rare set of twenty-four paintings of Chinese musical instruments 19th century (24) image 18
A rare set of twenty-four paintings of Chinese musical instruments 19th century (24) image 19
A rare set of twenty-four paintings of Chinese musical instruments 19th century (24) image 20
A rare set of twenty-four paintings of Chinese musical instruments 19th century (24) image 21
A rare set of twenty-four paintings of Chinese musical instruments 19th century (24) image 22
A rare set of twenty-four paintings of Chinese musical instruments 19th century (24) image 23
A rare set of twenty-four paintings of Chinese musical instruments 19th century (24) image 24
A rare set of twenty-four paintings of Chinese musical instruments 19th century (24) image 25
A rare set of twenty-four paintings of Chinese musical instruments 19th century (24) image 26
Lot 60

A rare set of twenty-four paintings of Chinese musical instruments
19th century

Elegant Gatherings: The Social Art of Chinese Scholars
2 December 2021, 15:00 HKT
Hong Kong, Six Pacific Place

HK$400,000 - HK$600,000

Own a similar item?

Submit your item online for a free auction estimate.

How to sell

Looking for a similar item?

Our Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art specialists can help you find a similar item at an auction or via a private sale.

Find your local specialist

Ask about this lot

A rare set of twenty-four paintings of Chinese musical instruments

19th century
Watercolour and gouache on paper, 24 leaves, the album depicting twenty-three sets of Chinese musical instruments including gongs, bells, flutes, zithers etc., and a Chinese orchestra of seventeen figures, each drawing captioned in English in ink by an unidentified English traveller and musician, framed and glazed.
44.3cm (17 1/2in) x 30.5cm (12in) (24).

Footnotes

十九世紀 水彩樂器及樂隊圖冊

Published and Illustrated:
M.Gregory, From China to the West: Historial pictures by Chinese and Western artists 1770-1870, London, 2012, no.77

出版及著錄：
M.Gregoy, 《From China to the West: Historial pictures by Chinese and Western artists 1770-1870》，倫敦，2012年，編號77

These remarkable paintings appear to have been commissioned by Matthew Raper, who was a council member of the East India Company in Canton between 1767 until 1777, and who evidently took a strong interest in Chinese musical instruments. These paintings seem to have formed the basis for two sheets of drawings by Raper himself, which are collected in the British Library (Add. MS 33931).

Compare with two very similar albums of Chinese musical instruments, one of twelve leaves and the other of thirty-eight leaves in The University of Manchester Library, ac.no.JRL1100030dc and listed in the Handlist of the Chinese Collections in The John Rylands University Library of Manchester, Manchester, 1991, pp.40-42.

水粉紙本，二十四開，其中廿三開描繪各式中國樂器，一開描繪一組十七人管弦樂隊，每頁下方有英文標題及注釋。樂隊人物十六人男一人女，所著服飾似官府中人或旗人，並非街頭遊藝之士。此類水彩畫主要於十八、十九世紀出口歐洲，介紹中國風土人情。中國繪畫中文人雅集常有樂器或樂隊相伴，而少有寫實描繪樂器的例子，多為寫意一筆帶過。此冊極為真實地展現了十八、十九世紀中國較為正式的樂隊組合，亦詳細描繪出了當時樂器的細節，頗有歷史價值。此圖冊極有可能是英國東印度公司大班白立把（Matthew Raper）與1767至1777年間在廣東特別訂製而作。

英國曼徹斯特大學圖書館藏有一冊三十七頁的水粉樂器及樂隊冊頁，與本件所繪幾乎相同，見《Handlist of the Chinese Collections in The John Rylands University Library of Mancheste》，曼徹斯特，1991年，頁40-42，館藏編號JRL1100030dc。

Additional information

Bid now on these items