Man with a Rayok Box
Pu-Qua
Basic information
- ID
- Г-IV-5531/10
- Author
- Pu-Qua
- Name
- Man with a Rayok Box
- Date of creation
- late 17th – early 18th c.
- Country
- China
- Culture
- Far East
- Technique
- etching watercolor embossing
- Material
- Indian ink paper
- Dimensions (height x width, cm)
- 29.3 x 24.4
Additionally
- Type
- album sheet
- Genre
- genre art
- Provenance
- Purchased from a private individual
- Exposition
- Zolochiv Castle (Chinese Palace)
Information about author
Object description
A rayok is a folk theater, which consisted of a small box with magnifying glasses, in which movable pictures were displayed. Depicted in the centre of the etching, this kind of a rayok is standing on a high wooden stand and is decorated with a pair of phoenixes. A rayok-man is standing under a square umbrella to the left of the box. He is demonstrating the pictures to a boy who is looking into the box through a magnifying glass. The etching comes from the album "Chinese Customs and National Costumes", which includes 60 images of Chinese people engaged in various activities. Each image is accompanied by an explanation in German; some of them are written in French. In the eighteenth century, artists in Canton (Guangzhou) in southern China created such paintings for Europeans seeking to learn more about China and its people.
Inscriptions
In the lower left corner, there is a calligraphic inscription "Pu-Qua.Canton. Delin'' made in Indian ink. In the lower right corner, there is an inscription "Dadley.London.Sculpt". There is a number "10" in the upper right corner.
