Chinese School, 1845–50

Hong Kong, Chinnery & the China Coast, 1990, no. 68 (as Chinese School, circa 1840).

Chinnery & the China Coast, exh. cat., Hong Kong 1990, n.p., no. 68 (as Chinese School, circa 1840);

P. Conner, The Hongs of Canton: Western merchants in south China 1700–1900, as seen in Chinese export paintings, London 2009, p. 190, reproduced in colour p. 191, pl. 7.14 (as Chinese artist, 1840s).

This fascinating view of the American garden at Canton was painted by a Chinese artist around 1845–50. In its unusual perspective, whereby the garden is seen through an open window, the composition can be compared with examples of 19th-century Romantic painting, with which the artist was evidently familiar. In the background, ships are visible on the Pearl River, alluding to the strength of trade and commerce in this bustling port city.