Two Chinese reverse glass paintings, depicting the last Qing Emperor and Empress. Likely produced late 19th Century. 

Overall Size: 15 x 10 3/4 in.

Sight Size: 13 x 9 in.

#37 #5452 . 

Puyi (February 7th, 1906 - October 17th, 1967) was the last emperor of China, reigning as the eleventh and final monarch of the Qing dynasty. He became emperor at the age of two in 1908, but was forced to abdicate in 1912 as a result of Xinhai Revolution at the age of six. During his reign he was known as the Xuantong Emperor, with his era name meaning “proclamation of unity.” Wanrong (November 13th, 1906 - June 20th, 1946) of the Manchu Plain White Banner Gobulo clan, was his wife and empress consort from their marriage in 1922 until the exile of the imperial family in November 1924. She later became the empress consort of the Japanese puppet state of Manchukuo in northeastern China from 1934 until the abolition of the monarchy in August 1945, dying in a Chinese prison a year later. Puyi was caught and extradited to China in 1950 and lived as a common citizen, although the translation of his book “From Emperor to Citizen” into English led to severe curtailing of his privileges in the final years of his life. 

Reverse painting on glass is an art form consisting of applying paint to a piece of glass and then viewing the image by turning the glass over and looking through the glass at the image. Another term used to refer to the art of cold painting and gilding on the back of glass is “verre eglomise,” named after the French decorator Jean-Baptiste Glomy (1711-86), who framed prints using glass that had been reverse-painted. In German it is known as “Hinterglasmalerei.”