19th C. Chinese Pith Painting Portrait of Woman with Opium Pipe physiology into which one might yet

into which one might yet slip a love note or gift certificate to a fancy cake shop

no tears at all

great structural condition and heavy for his size

I believe original to it and which suits it very well

19th C. Chinese Pith Painting Portrait of Woman with Opium Pipe physiology into which one might yetThis is a Cantonese gouache painting on pith, mounted to good weight backing paper (blue ribbon runs around the perimeter of the pith paper and is what holds the painting to the larger backing paper), which I believe would originally have been housed in a portfolio containing a set of six or twelve, together portraying a selection of court figures in fine dress, perhaps the emperor and empress, too. I love this woman for the opium pipe in her hands,