Chinese painting "Drinking Dogs", Qing dynasty

Ink on silk adhered to support. A couple of dogs are depicted leaning over a blue and white ceramic bowl filled with water. A white wall of Chinese architecture divides the scene, and behind it, on the right-hand side, is a thin bamboo branch and three lotus flowers, white and pink, with their characteristic leaves. 

In the upper left corner are three lines written in the Manchu language, and in the centre is an oval-shaped red seal with six characters, 乾隆御览之宝. (The Qianlong Royal Treasure)

The painting shows the artist's mastery, and is notable for its great realism and the accuracy with which the details have been rendered, from the fur of the dogs and the movement of the water in the bowl, to the blooming lotuses and the perspective of the scene, supported by the arrangement of the architecture. Quing dynasty (1644-1912).

Size: 36 x 42.5 cm (approx); Size with frame: 49.5 x 56.3 cm (approx.)

Provenance:

- Admiral Giscaulime, belonging to the French expeditionary forces in China, 19th century. (1860s).

- Current private French collection obtained, directly from the previous sole owner.