CHUNGONGTU. Two albums of painted erotica.
China, Qing Dynasty (19th century)
£8,000
Two volumes of original erotic paintings; Ink and colour pigments on silk, mounted on paper and assembled in an accordion fold, bound in cardboard with gold flecks, each album protected in a modern leather case. Album 1 (220 x 180mm) containing 10 paintings. Album 2 (197 x 260mm) containing 12 paintings. All in excellent condition, only one of the covers detached.
A work comprising a total of 22 wonderfully erotic and romantic painted scenes, also known as chungongtu or chungong hua in China, executed by highly skilled artists. Each album portrays the intimate life of a couple through various scenes: one of the volumes shows the viewer the courting process of a couple in the Qing Dynasty, culminating in four graphic images; while the second volume focuses more heavily on the depiction of carnal love, with a final painting portrays a more domestic scene of the family. The scenes are all painted on exquisite backgrounds showing lush gardens or richly decorated interiors, and incorporate a high degree of playfulness and humour, showing the figures frolicking outdoors, playing musical instruments and enjoying life’s many pleasures.
Erotic albums such as these became increasingly popular during the Ming (1368-1644 CE) and Qing Dynasties (1644-1912 CE), although they had roots in the erotic art of the earlier Han Dynasty (206 BCE-220 CE). Despite the vast anonymity surrounding the creators of erotic art, such paintings were commonly sold openly and shops, often purchased as educational material for young brides or purely for the pleasure and amusement of a couple.
Provenance:
1. Unknown collector’s stamp in red ink, to bottom left corner of first painting in Album 1.
2. Carlos Alberto Cruz (1939-2022), Chilean Architect.
Literature:
Umekawa, Sumiyo, 梅川純代, and David Dear. “The Relationship between Chinese Erotic Art and the Art of the Bedchamber: A Preliminary Survey.” In Imagining Chinese Medicine, 18:215–26. Brill, 2018.