A set of six Chinese paintings of Djonks, Qing dynasty, 19th Century.

The delicate nature of the pith – in many cases now nearing two centuries old – is quite remarkable. That a material that was once so full of life, literally the living inner tissue of the Tetrapanex papyrifera plant, should now be so brittle that any handling puts it at risk, seems somehow appropriate and part of the works’ special charm. The vibrancy of their paint (uniquely vivid because of the pith’s properties) seems to defy the fragility of the support, and the brittleness lends the picture a poignant sense of mortality - these jewel-like pictures are teetering on the edge of annihilation. They tell us about the history, activities and socio-cultural exchanges that took place when East met West in an age before photography.