Chinese Reverse Glass paintings a remarkably unique genre of art
Reflected Beauty: Chinese Reverse Glass Painting from the Mei Lin Collection
Two women in qipaos, Northern China, 1910, Reflected Beauty: Chinese Reverse Glass Painting from the Mei Lin Collection
Reflected Beauty in Chinese Reverse Glass Painting
The title, “Reflected Beauty: Chinese Reverse Glass Painting” is intriguing and enigmatic.
Baoyu Watching Go Game (detail), Probably Shanxi province, early Republican period
An exhibition curated from the Mei Lin Collection offers clues to the items on display, but it also left some questions. Why is the painting done in reverse? And why are they painted on glass?
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I ventured into the exhibition at the University Museum and Art Gallery at the University of Hong Kong with a heightened sense of curiosity. As I had not heard of Chinese Reverse Glass Paintings, I wasn’t sure what to expect.
Flowers and scholars’ objects, China, late Qing Dynasty Mei Lin Collection, Image Courtesy of Rupprecht Mayer
What I found fascinated and delighted me.
The exhibition presented charmingly colourful illustrations and vibrant scenes from Chinese mythology and popular literature, auspicious objects, and portraits of lovely ladies and children painted on the reserve side of mirrors.
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Throughout the multiple galleries, I viewed the paintings and enjoyed the various details in the works.
Example of the highly reflective mirror used for painting
But because they were all done on mirrors, I found the reflections of the room, other visitors, and myself in the unpainted areas very distracting.
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As much as I tried to view the paintings as one would if they were done on a flat ground, such as on non-reflective canvas, wall or board, I could not disregard the “additional” images that became a part of the painting because of the mirrored background.
Seated woman with fan China, Late Qing Dynasty, Image Courtesy of the University Museum and Art Gallery
The panels describing the paintings provided information on primarily the subject matter and the quality of the illustration. However, little was provided regarding the history and origins of this unique and little-known genre of artwork.
Artwork made with glass has a long history
With some research, I discovered that Chinese reverse glass painting in fact has a long history.
Hiding in a boat (detail), Hebei province, 1930
Sinologists, those who are expert in Chinese culture, and gallerists, as well as antique dealers know their inherent value and their place in the narrative of the maritime trade of goods from the west into China, and from China to the rest of the world.
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For me, this was all very new.
Using glass as the medium for decoration by painting and/or with the addition of pigment is not new. When its production was arduous and laborious, glass was an opulent material that was available to very few.
Mother and child (detail), Probably Shanxi province, China, ca. 1920s, Mei Lin Collection, Image Courtesy of Rupprecht Mayer
It had a wondrous quality and was highly valued for its luminosity and reflective qualities, which would inspire awe.
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The stained glass in the magnificent churches and cathedrals built in Europe during the late Middle Ages are fine examples of this.
Mirrors were once reserved for very high society
Painting on the reverse [back] side of a mirror was a novelty that originated in Europe.
Two women in a study China, (Left & Right), Late Qing dynasty
In the book, Chinese reverse glass painting 1720-1820 (Peter Lang, New Edition 2020), Thierry Audric detailed the innovations in glass manufacturing that led to the use of mirrors by those who could afford this precious item.
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“During the whole of the eighteenth century, large sheets of glass were usually silvered to create mirrors. Their production costs were high, which meant these beautiful objects were reserved for very high society and for princely gifts.”
Xichun Painting (detail), Northern China, 1930
Audric noted that the novelty of painting on mirrors added to its value and the esteem of this art form, so much so that it was deemed worthy as a royal tribute.
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“The seventeenth century also witnessed the appearance of painting on these large mirrors, particularly in Germany and Holland.
Ballad performance (detail), Tianjin or eastern Hebei province, 1932
At first limited to a few panels, it came to occupy a more prominent place…These painted mirrors, worthy of European Court, were thus also becoming objects fit to be offered to the court of the Chinese emperor.”
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Through the maritime trade, mirrors were shipped from Europe to China. Then the novel reverse glass painting followed and made its way to the imperial court.
The Little Mandarin (detail), Shanxi province, late Qing dynasty or early Republican period
The author cites documentation that a set was given to the Chinese emperor in 1722.
“… Emperor Kangxi received a set of gifts from a dignitary named Suozi. Among these were a pair of mirrors with flowers along the edges.”
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This set a standard for gift giving, and in subsequent years, the presentation of reverse glass paintings to the reigning emperor was frequently mentioned in extracts from the imperial archives.
Wedding scene, Northern China,ca. 1930, Mei Lin Collection, Image Courtesy of Rupprecht Mayer
Emperor Qianlong, who reigned from 1735 to 1796, was so enamored by these painted mirrors that he created a workshop in the palace specifically to produce these artworks.
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With this resounding endorsement by the imperial court, this art form exploded in popularity in China as well as for the export market to Europe, North America and Japan.
Mother and children (detail), Probably Shandong province Republican period
The demand led to the flourishing of workshops in Canton, the centre for maritime trade and production of decorative art and objects for the export market.
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In these workshops, mirrors imported from the west were painted with exotic Chinese scenes and then re-exported.
Glass mirrors were painted with exotic Chinese scenes and then re-exported
One rationale for painting on the reverse, the underside of the mirror, was that during its very long journey to China, the silver on the back was sometimes marred.
Reflected Beauty: Chinese Reverse Glass Painting from the Mei Lin Collection exhibition view
Paint and then extensive painting were done to cover and replace the areas that were scratched out.
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Eventually the silvering was scratched out intentionally to provide a clear ground for the paint.
Bird and flowers China, late Qing Dynasty, Mei Lin Collection, Image Courtesy of Rupprecht Mayershipped
The advantage of having the paint on the back side of the mirror is that it added depth to the image, and the front of the mirror was easy to clean.
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For a century from 1720 to1820, the period that Audric’s book chronicles, the infatuation with Chinese reverse painted glass exploded.
These paintings were highly prized and sought after, and production grew exponentially.
Two women having tea (detail), Northern China, Early Republican period
“From the 1720s, therefore, mirrors painted in Canton were added to the list of presents that these dignitaries regularly sent to the emperor.”
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Audric deserves credit for his scholarly dissertation, which provides an extensive in-depth analysis of this genre of painting.
His motivation for this study was his own discovery of the beauty of reverse glass painting when he lived in China.
The ‘Four Arts of the Scholar’ in Dream of the Red Chamber, Probably Shanxi province (Left & Right), China, late Qing Dynasty or early Republican period, Mei Lin Collection, Image Courtesy of Rupprecht Mayer
In his introduction he noted, “It is a forgotten genre of painting, but it also seems to be an underrated genre. This means that only a few works of reverse glass painting have been studied in the context of Cantonese workmanship of the period, finding a place somewhere in between fans and porcelains.”
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The examples displayed in Reflected Beauty: Chinese Reverse Glass Painting from the Mei Lin Collection exhibition show surviving nineteenth and early twentieth century paintings that were more locally focused, with painters creating scenes filled with auspicious symbols and literary references that were specifically produced for and sold in the Chinese market.
Reflected Beauty: Chinese Reverse Glass Painting Exhibition
This group of late Qing dynasty and early Republican period paintings from the Mei Lin Collection also present examples mounted as pocket mirrors and table screens that depict domestic scenes and portraits of “reflected beauties” who display the attire, jewellery, hairstyle, adornment and distinctions that gave clues to the social classes of the ladies and the changing standards of the times.
Text Cammy Yiu/ photos Cammy Yiu & University Museum and Art Gallery
