A few weeks ago, I wrote about Bird Paintings of the Ch'ien Lung Period, a 1967 book of color plates of Chinese bird paintings. Copies of the book are really difficult to find, although I did manage to track down a copy in the UK. Because so many readers asked that I show photos of the book, I'm doing just that. The book is comprised of only eight color plates, but how colorful they are. If you do manage to locate a copy, I encourage you to buy it. But in the meantime, here's a look at the bird paintings.
Green Magpie
Eclectus Parrot
Lesser Lemon-Crested Cocktaoo
Golden Pheasant
Blue-Crowned Hanging Parakeet
Red-Billed Blue Magpie
White-Eye
Yellow Wagtail
what a treat! They are lovely photos. I love the blue magpies the most.
ReplyDeleteStunning ...I want to rip out and frame!
ReplyDeleteTruly beautiful! What are your plans for them?
ReplyDeleteAs pretty as they would be framed, I think I'm going to leave the book intact...at least for now!
ReplyDeleteWe'll see how long you can keep this book intact -these are just gorgeous!!
ReplyDeleteThese are breathtaking+kudos to you for keeping the book intact-thanks for giving me a peak. xxpeggybraswelldesign.com
ReplyDeleteThe pigments used to color book plates are often fugitive and can fade drastically when exposed to light, both sunlight and electric bulbs. And the background white paper can turn yellow. Anti-UV glass slows down the process, but does not stop it. If you want the plates to stay true, keep the book intact.
ReplyDeleteFraming the "scans" of the books images would work.
ReplyDeleteSo many of the framed prints that you see currently are really scanned images of the original and they look fantastic. Thanks for the great images--I love antiques birds prints, especially parrots and the like. Mary
Scanning is a great idea. That way, I can keep the book intact and won't have to worry about damage to the plates.
ReplyDeleteIf you are looking for something similar to frame, I would recommend the Martinet bird prints -- they date from 1776 and are French, but have a distinctly Asian quality to them. These days they are not too expensive, either.
ReplyDeletebeautiful!
ReplyDeleteScan em-frame em-hang em all!!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful. Can't find one for sale online. What would be a fair price for the book if one turns up?
ReplyDelete