A GOOD PAINTED CLAY FIGURE OF THOMAS TODD ATTRIBUTED TO CHITQUA, CIRCA 1770

the well dressed merchant modelled standing on a square footed base, with right hand tucked into his cream-coloured waistcoat and his left supporting a tricorn black hat, wearing a mid-length pale blue surcoat over black breaches, long white socks and black gilt-buckled shoes, wood and glass display case

By family decent

This rare plaster figure is in fair overall condition, with the exception, but not limited to the following small areas of loss, over-painting and damage: there is loss to eight of the buttons on the waistcoat, two buttons on the surcoat, two small chips to the bottom rear edge of the surcoat, overpainting around the surcoat, flakes and over-painting around the collar of the surcoat, small nibbles to the edge of the surcoat, a 6mm., shallow chip to the edge of the right cuff, loss to one button on the right hand pocket of the surcoat, and one to the back, fractures around the ankles, knees and thighs, nibbles to the front edge of the tricorn hat, loss and chips to one of the back corners of the hat, a 7mm., shallow chip to the top of the head, tiny flakes and cracks to the hair, loss to the end of the nose, the base is worn, water-damaged and with flaking paint.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The present figure, with its face sculpted in almost photographic realism, belongs to a small group of Chinese portrait figures that represent the artistic relations between China and the West. This figure represents Thomas Todd, who on 10th November 1760 became a freeman of the Salter's Company and later Druggist and Tea Dealer at 70 Fleet Street, London. Todd's business is recorded in the 1768 Directory of London. He was born in 1726 in Sunderland, County Durham, the youngest child to Richard, a sail maker and Jane (nee Byers). He had an elder brother called Richard, whose two sons, called Richard and Thomas, joined his tea trading business and effectively managed it into the 19th century. Thomas Todd's name is recorded in the Proceedings of the Old Bailey (ref. no. t17670909-44) that contain the details of the trial of a John Hodges in 1767 for the theft of 3 pounds weight of green tea, value of 20 shillings, from William Robinson and Thomas Todd of Fleet Street. Hodges was found guilty and sentenced to Transportation.

This figure accurately shows the type of garment typically worn by English merchants of the 18th century. It appears to be inspired by an earlier figure, circa 1730-1760, of a Western merchant by Chinqua, depicted wearing a blue knee-length coat with gilt buckles and with a tricorn hat clasped under his left elbow and a long cane in his right hand, sold at Christie's London, 7th April 1997, lot 135. Chitqua most probably trained under Chinqua in the same workshop in Amoy, and would have been familiar with his work. 

A number of figures made by Chitqua are known, such as the figure of Dr. Anthony Askew, in the collection of the Royal College of Physicians, London, illustrated in Carl L. Crossman, The Decorative Arts of the China Trade, London, 1991, pl. 184. Crossman notes (ibid., p. 314) that Chitqua seems to 'have achieved considerable fame for his wonderful miniature sculptures with their finely defined features, hair wigs and decorative clothes, for he was taken to London where he stayed from 1769-1771. Feted and treated as a foreign dignitary, he actually met the King and Queen, who sat for him, and was painted by several of the more distinguished members of the Royal Academy'. See another figure by Chitqua depicting a standing lady holding a child, in the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, included ibid., pl. 183.  

For Chitqua's inspiration see two earlier figures, one of Joseph Collet (1673-1725), administrator of the English trading settlement on the west coast of Sumatra and Governor of Fort St. George, Madras between 1717-1725, dated to 1716, in the collection of the National Portrait Gallery, London, and illustrated in  R.J. Charleston, 'Chinese Face-makers', Antiques Magazine, May 1958, p. 459; and an unidentified figure of a gentleman dated to 1720, wearing a slightly longer red woollen frockcoat with thigh-length boots, in the collection of the Peabody Museum, Salem, and included in the exhibition A Tale of Three Citis, Canton, Shanghai and Hong Kong, Sotheby's, London, 1997, pl. 187. Both figures bear the inscription 'Amoy Chinqua' which identifies the maker as Qinqua from Amoy, present day Xiamen, Fujian province. The name 'Qinqua' was typically employed by Chinese craftsmen and merchants in contact with Europeans.

The nephew of Thomas Todd is the great, great, great grandfather of the present owner of this figure. The figure passed from the owner's uncle to him and thence to his son RJS Todd on his death in 1836. From RJS Todd it further passed to his grandson RJU Todd in 1888, and thence to the present owner in 1962.