‘PEKINGESE DOG’, MID-QING DYNASTYChina, 18th - early 19th century. Ink and watercolors on paper. Depicting a Pekingese dog with black and white fur standing foursquare with an upturned tail on a grassy ground, the face with an alert expression, round ochre eyes, and bushy ears.Provenance: The personal collection of Robert Rousset. Thence by descent to Jean-Pierre Rousset. Robert Rousset was a former French radio officer in the merchant navy, who became one of the most prominent pioneers of the Chinese art market in Paris. As a child, his father, an insurance agent, would take him to Hôtel Drouot where he started to buy at a very young age. His true passion for Asian art started in the 1920s, when he was sent on a mission to Beijing after the decline of the Qing empire, along with Osvald Sirén, the famous Swedish Asian art historian and connoisseur. He then became one of the main contributors of Chinese antiques for thepagnie de la Chine et des Indes, founded in Paris in the early 20th century by the Blazy brothers. After the 1929 stock market crash, he had the opportunity to acquire thepany. With his sister Suzanne in charge of the porcelain, they developed the business and became one of the most important dealers in France, selling pieces to the greatest museums, including the Musée Guimet and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. With no children of his own, Robert took his nephew Jean-Pierre (1936-2021) under his wing and began grooming him to eventually take over the gallery. He loved to wander with Jean-Pierre through the gallery's exhibitions and storerooms, telling stories about each piece while cultivating his protégé’s eye. Jean-Pierre was also sent by his uncle to train with the great expert in Asian art and Robert’s close friend, Michel Beurdeley, whose numerous publications are stillmonly referenced today. When Robert passed away, his private collection was divided between Jean-Pierre and his sister, Anne-Marie, whose part was sold with great success after her death in 2019.Condition: Good condition with some wear, little creasing, minor soiling, small touch, few repairs, and minor tears. The frame with minor wear.Dimensions: Image size 50.7 x 48.5 cm, Size incl. mounting 64.8 x 62.8 cmFramed behind glass. (2)The Pekingese breed originated in China and could only be owned by members of the Chinese Imperial Palace. A consort of the Daoguang Emperor, Lady Chang of the prominent Manchu Heseri clan, was a lover of dogs and particularly enamored with Pekingese. According to Geoffrey R. Sayer (Tao Ya or Pottery Refinements, London, 1959, page 123, no. 722) “Cheng Miao [the Daoguang Emperor] was fond of pigeons, his exalted concubine was fond of little dogs.”During the Second Opium War, in 1860, the Old Summer Palace in Beijing was occupied by a contingent of British and French troops. The Xianfeng Emperor had fled with all of his court to Chengde. However, the elderly Cons