Chinoiserie Paintings

From French, Chinoiserie applies to designs and paintings that are Western interpretations of Chinese motifs, in particular, and Asian in general. While it perpetuates our romance with paper lanterns, pagodas, scenes of royal life in China and mystical dragons, Chinoiserie actually helped promote an interest in all things Chinese after Marco Polo returned to Venice from his Asian travels in 1295. In the eighteenth century, French court painters promoted China and Chinoiserie in their textile designs. Whether they benefited from the import and export business with China or from the textile mills printing their Chinese inspired designs for the general public is uncertain. We have recently added to our archive a large assortment of original French paintings in this ever popular style. They are vibrant with color and rich with motifs we love. It is one of our favorite genre.