Lot 50
Anglo-Chinese School18th centuryWhampoa Island with a view of Whampoa pagoda
3 December 2014, 14:00 GMT
London, KnightsbridgeSold for £2,500 inc. premium
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Anglo-Chinese School, 18th century
Whampoa Island with a view of Whampoa pagoda
gouache
19 x 30.5cm (7 1/2 x 12in).
gouache
19 x 30.5cm (7 1/2 x 12in).
Footnotes
The present lot is typical of those painted by Chinese artists during the late-18th century for export to the West. Although the use of numbering is more commonly found in 19th century works, the greenish palette is a common feature of export paintings dating from the 1760s to the 1780s.
The absence of an American flag amongst the ships is also important in helping to determine the date of the work. The first American vessel, the Empress of China arrived in Whampoa in 1784. Thereafter American ships were regular visitors to the Island; the omission of the American flag in this view would therefore suggest a date prior to this.
It is also interesting to note that the artist has depicted some of the British ships flying the blue ensign which was only flown by British naval vessels. As it is unlikely that naval vessels would have joined the merchant fleet at Whampoa, there has presumably been some error. However it is possible that the artist had seen the naval escorts in the Pearl River estuary, which in unsettled times accompanied the merchant fleet back to Europe. Indeed, between 1779 and 1782, there was a naval presence there under Vice Admiral of the Blue, Edward Hughes. This helps us to speculate further on a possible date of execution at around this time.