Antique 18th Century Chinoiserie Study Of A Fire Screen~ Sold~

Antique 18th Century Watercolor Study Of a Chinoiserie Decorated Fire Screen.

This lovely watercolor is perfectly in line with the Pillement School of Paitings and decors.
Jean-Baptiste Pillement ( 1728 –1808) was a painter and designer, known for his exquisite and delicate landscapes and decors, and whose importance lies primarily in the engravings done after his drawings, and their influence in spreading the Rocaille or Rococo style and particularly the taste for Chinoiserie throughout Europe.

The Chinoiserie, which translates to ‘In the Chinese Style’, themed decors became all the rage in France at the end of Louis XV’s reign, and continued after his passing.
This exotic trend became all the rage and encompassed furniture décor, paintings, as well as architecture and architectural decors.

In the case of our charming watercolor, we found on the back of the painting the following annotation:
‘Three panel fire screen presentation’ and the measures for each panel!

The lovely watercolour shows the idealized figure of a ‘Chinese’ man, sitting under an umbrella, while being serenaded by two monkey musicians…
The composition is surrounded by rose garlands and features a large rose bouquet at the lower end.

It is absolutely charming and very much in keeping with the School of Jean Baptiste PILLEMENT.
It would have been created to present the project to the projected owner of the piece prior to creating the actual fire screen.

The gilded frame is XVIII century and in excellent condition.

Our piece has the following Measures:
The Frame is 8.66 inches wide and 7.08 inches high
The Watercolour is 4.72 inches wide and 3.54 inches high

The watercolour was purchased in Paris at Morel Auction House in December 2017.

Reference number: R-142