After Japanese ports reopened for trade in 1853, European art embraced the influence of Asian aesthetics. Two paintings that demonstrate this enthusiasm for oriental motifs feature in Bonhams’ 19th century European Paintings auction, which will take place at Bonhams New York on May 6. One example, The green pillow by Arthur Wardle (1864-1949), a British artist and prolific painter of animals, shows a mother cat and her two kittens lying on a green silk pillow that is decorated with an oriental design. A delicate Japanese fan showing cherry blossom lies nearby. It is a typical tour-de-force from Wardle, showing his masterly brushwork and eye for 19th century domestic detail. Estimated at $25,000 – 35,000. Another example is by Gustave Leonhard De Jonghe and titled Awaiting the suitor (est. $20,000 – 30,000). The painting depicts two women standing on a Turkish carpet, looking out of a window through which light pours

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