Artist / Author / Cartographer:
Canton Artist
Title:
Foreign Factories at Canton with flags flying
Date:
c.1840
Medium:
oil on canvas
Size:
45.5 x 60 cm
Description:
A view of the Western Hongs at Canton in the early 1840s painted by a Canton artist. The French, American, British and Dutch flags are all flying in front of their respective hongs or factories. In the foreground on the Canton River are junks, sampans, flowerboats and even a Chinese gunboat. On shore is the main square and various gardens or enclosures in front of the elegant Neo-Classical Western Hongs.
This painting may have been commissioned for an American resident as there appears to be a man with two dogs beside the American flag post. Perhaps he asked for these details to be included to personalise this souvenir of the city of Canton.
References:
Item Code:
P5208
attachment:
