A Rare Overmantel Reverse Glass Painting: The Shepherdess and Falconer

This exceptional reverse glass painting forms part of a rare and visually distinctive group produced in Canton (Guangzhou) during the third quarter of the eighteenth century. These works, often referred to as “mirror paintings,” were executed by a group of highly skilled artists, working within a common waterfront studio complex that catered to the flourishing China Trade. This particular composition—depicting an elegant shepherdess and a hidden falconer—reappears in closely related examples held in the Lady Lever Art Gallery, as well as in the Roger Keverne and (formerly) Horlick collections. The trio, including the present painting, is illustrated in Thierry Audric’s seminal study of Chinese reverse glass art.

The subject is rich with narrative intrigue. A finely dressed shepherdess is seated beneath a flowering wutong tree, accompanied by children, goats, and ducks beside a riverbank. Behind her, partially obscured by foliage, a falconer peers out with a knowing smile, raising a finger to his lips while balancing a bird of prey on his gloved hand. The precise significance of the scene remains elusive, but its theatrical, almost voyeuristic quality suggests a moment from Chinese popular drama or a literary trope that would have amused both Chinese and Western audiences alike.

Reverse glass painting was a laborious and highly specialised technique, requiring the artist to work in reverse sequence on the back of the glass—laying in surface details before backgrounds, and applying opaque mineral pigments that preserved their luminosity behind the reflective surface. The effect was one of crystalline clarity and saturated colour, qualities that made these paintings especially desirable in Europe, where they were seen as marvels of both exoticism and technical sophistication.

While many Chinese mirror paintings arrived in simple black lacquer frames and were later refitted in Europe, the present example is particularly rare for retaining its original giltwood frame—a richly carved and pierced Rococo surround that matches the painting’s scale and aesthetic with remarkable coherence. Equally rare is the painting’s broad landscape format, a feature that distinguishes it from the more common vertical compositions and speaks to its intended architectural context, likely conceived for a grand drawing room or reception space. The incorporation of mirrored border glass, much of which remains original, further enhances its function as an overmantel—both decorative object and focal point.

Comparable overmantel examples are exceedingly scarce. A notable counterpart from the collection of Pierre Durand, incorporating a Chinese mirror painting in a similarly elaborate giltwood frame, was sold at Christie’s New York, 27 January 2022 (lot 69), for USD 600,000. Another, formerly in the collection of the Hon. Mrs. George Keppel, was sold at Christie’s New York in 2011 for USD 290,500 and again at Christie’s London in 2016 for GBP 194,500 (lot 322).

With its exceptional scale, technical mastery, narrative complexity, and untouched original frame, this mirror painting stands as a rare and important survival of eighteenth-century Sino-European decorative art. It embodies the transcultural ingenuity and visual allure that made Chinese reverse glass paintings one of the most prized luxuries of the China Trade era.