A rare Qing Dynasty album with 48 daily scenes on rice paperBlack and gilt Chinese lacquer cover and back centred by a cartouche of Oriental figures in a landscape with pagodas and monogram O.F.B.Inscribed on the back "“A SUA MULHER OFFERECE JOÃO MANOEL DE FREITAS BRANCO MACAO 7 DE SETEMBRO DE 1870” and central garden scene.48 mixed media paintings on rice paper, of Court scenes, Theatre scenes, Chinese boats and Daily scenes(losses and defects)The first 12 paintings are of a rare subject, of which we highlight the birth, the feeding, the Prince's education, the Emperor's audience and the death of the Elderly EmperorThe subsequent 12 paintings refer to theatre scenes of dramatic natureOf the 12 depictions of boats we highlight the following:depictions of two ancient Chinese sailing boats decorated with large eyes on the sternDepiction of the Dragon Boat having a Dragon's head on the bowDepiction of the duck boatDepiction of leisure boatsFinally the 12 Chinese daily scenes; the first three refer to tea production and the remaining nine allude to silk thread productionThese painting are an example of a Chinese production dating from the 1820s (the dating of the earliest paintings on rice paper)These works were mass produced by a variety of artists, what explains the close similarities between our album and those kept at the National Library of Australia in Canberra.In 1844, Osmond Tiffany, and American visiting Canton, describes what he sees in one of these workshops; "In every artist’s studio are to be found the paintings on what is called rice paper. This is very delicate and brittle, and nothing can exceed the splendour of the colours employe in representing the trades, occupations, life ceremonies, religions, etc, of the Chinese, which all appear in perfect truth in these productions… [They] may be obtained for a very reasonable sum, in boxes or bound up in books. They cost, for the usual class of excellence, from one to two dollars a dozen… Or you may order a set comprising the emperor and empress, and the chief mandarins, and court ladies, in the most significant attire, and finished like miniatures, for eight dollars".Depicting various aspects of Chinese daily life these images were their contemporaries post cards destined to be acquired by western visitorsAmongst the rarest are those portraying scenes of the various Qing emperor's (1644-1911) life's, such as the first twelve depictions of the present albumLiterature: AA.VV. – “ The Chinese Pith Painting – collection at National Library of Australia”, National library of Australia, Canberra, 2017.6 x 35 x 23,5 cm (álbum)23,5 x 34 cm (pintura)- - -15.00 % buyer's premium on the hammer price23.00 % VAT on buyer's premium