Youqua Album | Artlistings

Description

A very rare album of 142 original pen ink and grey wash drawings on double folded pages, depicting various activities and professions amoung which much desired subjects such as the picking of tea leaves; the packing of tea for transport to Europe; the selecting of silk worms and the porcelain production and decoration. The album has been rebound in the 1920's in three quarter green leather over green cloth and bears an early label of " Youqua Painter / Old Street nr. 34" to one of the preliminary free end leaves.
Youqua is regarded as one of the finest painters of Chinese port views, landscapes, watercolours and pith papers and was active from 1840 to 1870. Youqua originally started in Canton (modern Guangzhou) at number 34 Old Street and later opened a second studio in Hong Kong at number 107 Queen's Road. By the 1850's Youqua was regarded as best studio at that time and was referred to as the "celebrated Chinese painter, Youqua" (see: Crossman: The China Trade. 1991, page 202).