Artwork
Golden pheasant
Golden pheasant is a paint painting by the Patna School of Painting artist Unknown. It dates from 1800 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
About this work
Overview
This Chinese painting depicts a golden pheasant in vivid detail, characterized by its bright red face, iridescent feathers, and long striped tail, set against a simple green plant backdrop on a rock.
Subject & Meaning
The subject, a golden pheasant, was chosen for its exotic appeal to European collectors. The bird's meticulously rendered, intensely colored plumage reflects the European fascination with foreign flora and fauna during the 18th and 19th centuries.
Technique & Style
The painting exhibits a style adapted for European tastes, with colors that appear deliberately heightened for effect, suggesting a blend of traditional Chinese techniques with an awareness of Western aesthetic preferences.
History & Provenance
Produced in Canton (Guangzhou), a major Chinese trading port with Europe, this work is part of a mass-produced series catering to European visitors and traders, particularly popular among British collectors.
Context
Created amidst the thriving 18th-century trade between China and Europe, this piece reflects the cultural exchange and the European zeal for exotic species, which was initially driven by botanists and later embraced by the broader public.
Artist & collection
Domestic Scene
Giacomo and Cardinal Marco, investing Andrea, Abbot of San Zeno, with his Benefice
The Nymph of Fontainebleau
Portrait of a Woman
Madonna and Child with Saints in the Enclosed Garden
Venus and Minerva
Family Group of Four on Sofa
Wall painting from Room H of the Villa of P. Fannius Synistor at Boscoreale
