Assembling a piece of mandolin history from China. Guan Zilan (關紫蘭), daughter of a Shanghai cloth manufacturer in the early 1900s, became a professional painter and studied in Japan. Later she taught art in Shangai. She was also known as Violet Kwan
Somewhere in the process, she became interested in the mandolin, and incorporated it into several of her paintings. These appear to be either lost or in private collections, as none of the actual paintings are on the web. However pictures from her exhibits survived. Am I wrong thinking this is a Gibson model A?
It would be interesting to know if she picked up the mandolin in Shanghai, a booming city with lots of foreigners in the early 1900s, or if she discovered it in Japan during that period.
1930, exhibit at Shanghai Xiangyang Academy of Fine Arts, Hua'an Building.
This is her on the cover of The Young Companion magazine (also called Liangyou), about March 1930. I think the mandolin is the same as the left painting in the Shanghai Xiangyang exhibit.
The best copy I could find. Is that a Gibson A?
Another exhibit picture, either 1927 or 1930. The mandolin picture over her shoulder, showing a mandolin on a table in front of a vase of flowers, was shown repeatedly and made the Liangyou magazine about her exhibit.
Her exhibited photos in Liangyou magazine, issue 57, in 1931. The mandolin on the table with flowers is on this page.
Here she is with another mandolin.
One that is included in a blog, attributed to her; no other info.
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