Sensual scenes on silk Silk painting with erotic representations (Chungong-tu). Series of 13 polychrome paintings in watercolour and ink on silk. 15,5 x 14 cm each. China, late Qing Dynasty, ca. 1850-1900. The leaves show imaginative, intimate and sometimes very explicit scenes of young couples and three-way constellations in domestic interiors and garden scenes. Within the series a scene with two women on a green padded couch in front of pink curtains is to be highlighted. The illustration shows the use of an olisbo, which is fixed around the waist by means of a red shroud. The women are depicted with elaborate hairstyles, tied feet and red silk shoes (Lianzu). Recurring motifs are richly equipped bedrooms with lacquered beds and paravents as well as idealized garden landscapes with bamboo. Such Chūngōng-tú ("Spring Palace Pictures") fulfilled several functions in late imperial China: They served as sexual pedagogical works, were handed over as tax gifts to young couples and were considered a promising talisman. Edges slightly frayed, probably due to the detachment from an original mount.