A young woman sits at a black lacquered table with an open book in her hand, her head turned slightly toward the page. She wears a blue robe patterned with white blossoms, a red collar and a red topknot ornament with fresh flowers tucked at the side of her hair. Behind her a pink curtain printed with blue sprigs is tied back, a lotus blooms from a vase at the left, and a stack of thread-bound books waits in a red patterned box. This scene is painted in reverse on glass in the manner of the Canton export studios of southern China, where artists worked on the underside of the pane and finished with the background. The ground behind her is a mottled, silvered surface that holds light like an old mirror.

Measuring 18.5 inches tall in a dark wood frame with a beaded edge and a brass hanger, it hangs in a reading corner, a study, a hallway or above a small desk. It also leans easily on a shelf or console, where the reflective ground shifts as the light changes.

• Era: Vintage to antique
• Origin: China
• Material: Paint and gilding on glass, wood frame
• Size: 14"(W) x 1"(D) x 18.5"(H), framed
• Color: Blue, red, pink and silver, dark brown frame
• Condition: Wear consistent with age and use, part of its character and historical value. Age spots in the silvered ground and small paint losses along the left edge.

This Chinese reverse glass painting shows a lady reading in a blue floral robe beside a lotus vase and a draped curtain, on a silvered ground, in the Canton export style, in a beaded dark wood frame with a brass hanger. It measures 14 inches wide, 1 inch deep and 18.5 inches tall framed. It suits a reading corner, study, hallway or desk wall.

Q: Why do some Chinese glass paintings have a mirrored background?
A: Chinese export studios painted on mirror glass, removing the silvering where color was to go and leaving the rest to reflect light. Over time the silvering mottles, which gives the background a soft, aged shimmer.

Q: What colors work with a blue and red Chinese painting?
A: Warm wood, brass and cream let the blue and red stand out, and a touch of green from a plant echoes the lotus leaf. Keep the wall behind it plain so the reflective ground catches light.

**Please bear in mind that colors of products shown may vary slightly from their original color due to monitor display settings or photography studio