Painting On Silk. Franco-chinese War. Qing Dynasty China.

Silk painting. Sino-French War. Qing Dynasty China. Watercolor on silk depicting an interesting historical event. It shows a battle between the French colonial army, composed of Foreign Legionnaires, Marines, and Moroccan and Annamite auxiliary troops, and an army of Tonkinese and Chinese known as the "Black Flags." The battle takes place in front of a fortified city, likely Tuyen Kuang (1884-85), where French troops were besieged for months. The painting depicts the arrival of reinforcements to break the siege. In the upper right corner, almost faded, two dirigibles deployed for enemy observation are visible, attesting to a large-scale battle with significant resources. 135 x 79 cm. No restoration. An exceptional historical document. At the top center of the painting, five Chinese characters are painted in ink. They likely indicate the precise location of the battle. Faded colors, tears, no restoration. 135x80cm.