Chinese No.2 1856

Owen Jones created this lithograph titled "Chinese No.2" which showcases a series of decorative patterns, likely during the 19th century. The artwork presents a collection of ornamental designs, each carefully rendered in a palette of muted reds, greens, blues, and yellows. These colors and patterns, contained within defined borders, create a sense of order and containment, reflecting the Victorian interest in categorizing and understanding diverse cultural motifs. Jones's approach appears to stem from structuralist principles, seeking to identify underlying geometric structures and formal rules that govern Chinese design. Each pattern is like a sign, carrying cultural codes, that Jones deciphers through visual analysis. The effect is both an appreciation and a reinterpretation of Chinese aesthetics through a Western lens. The orderly grid of the lithograph itself underscores a quest to understand the principles that could be classified and perhaps universally applied to design, reflecting the broader intellectual currents of the 19th century.