Textile
ca. 1780
Classification
printed, dyed & painted textiles
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Gift of Eleanor and Sarah Hewitt
Accession Number
1931-48-100
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
White ribbed silk painted in watercolors and metallic pigment. A Chinoiserie design showing a Chinese astronomer in a garden looking through a telescope; surrounded by a framework of flowering branches, one with a bird.
Art Historical Context
This exquisite textile, dating to around 1780, captures the enchanting Chinoiserie style that swept through Europe and America in the late 18th. Crafted from white ribbed silk and hand-painted with delicate watercolors and shimmering metallic pigments, it features whimsical scene: a Chinese astronomer peering through a telescope in a garden, framed by flowering branches and aching bird. This fusion of Eastern motifs with a Western scientific instrument reflects the era's fascination with exoticism and discovery. Chinoiserie, meaning "Chinese style," was a playful European adaptation of Asian ...
About the Artist
Unknown
The artist designated as "Unknown" in our virtual museum's collection exemplifies a poignant chapter in art history: creators whose identities have faded into obscurity despite the enduring power of their work. With only one known artwork attributed to them in our holdings, this figure represents countless anonymous hands that shaped visual culture across centuries. Museums worldwide, including th...