These paintings on silk were purchased in Gansu province, western China. In Hindu and Buddhist mythology, Asparas are celestial singers and dancers who, together with the Gandharvas, or celestial musicians, inhabit the heaven of the god Indra, the lord of the heavens. Originally water nymphs, the Apsaras provide sensual pleasure for both gods and men. The customer had purchased silk brocade and ribbon material with the intent of having them made into scrolls, like Tibetan Thangkas. As that proved impractical with such fragile silk, we suggested mimicking the size and style of a scroll but using his brocade and other silk fabrics for matting (see close-up detail below). The customer chose the thin oiled walnut frame to surround the paintings and their fabrics. The paintings are protected with UV Filtering, abrasion resistant, anti-static, and anti-reflective Tru-Vue Optium Museum Acrylic®. |