The pair of decorative panels was made using two Chinese papers painted in watercolor. Both depict mountain landscapes with rivers, featuring scenes of everyday life with two different themes. The first landscape is primarily fluvial, showing some dwellings and scenes of daily work, such as the water carrier, the herdsman, and the washerwoman.
The second, on the other hand, illustrates hunting in its various techniques. Weapons include the blowpipe, the spear, the bow, and the falcon, while the hunters are on horseback, accompanied by what appears to be their servants on foot. While the landscape serves as a decorative background, the figures and animals are rendered with remarkable pictorial precision. A conservative restoration has been carried out, keeping the damaged areas visible, which fortunately concern the sky and not the figures.
These works were created in China for the European market, intended to decorate the walls of “Chinese-style” rooms in grand 18th-century palaces, later framed as independent artworks, probably in the 20th century. Several examples are still visible today in European courts.
