Chinese Export School (19th Century), A Set of Twelve Paintings of Tea Production

Qing dynasty (1644-1912), 19th century, gouache pigments on pith paper, showing farmers and workers cultivating and processing tea, paintings bordered on all sides by a blue pattern ribbon, all presented in identical manner under glass with tan mats in gilt faux bamboo frames.



Frame dimensions 9 1/4 x 8 x 1 in., Sight size 4 5/8 x 3 1/4 in.

From the Collection of Adrienne and John C. Maxwell, Jr. John C. Maxwell Jr. assembled one of the most distinguished private collections of Asian art in the American South, with a particular focus on Chinese, Korean, and Japanese works spanning antiquity through the late imperial period. A financier and respected market analyst by profession, Maxwell developed his interest in Asian art during his military service in Korea in the early 1950s. What began as personal study evolved into a lifelong commitment to collecting, scholarship, and connoisseurship.

The collection formed by Maxwell and his wife Adrienne reflects Maxwell’s highly analytical eye and preference for works possessing strong historical character, refined craftsmanship, and clear cultural significance. Numerous objects from the collection together with their private library of 1,200 scholarly Asian art journals and books were gifted to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, where they became part of the museum’s Maxwell East Asian Collection.

Each with a small tear or loss to paper, mostly to margins; good vibrant colors; not examined outside of the frame.

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