$127,000
Sunqua (Chinese, ac. 1830-1870) Historically Important Depiction of the Paddle Steamer Forbes off Linton c. 1830. Signed "SUNQUA" in block letters l.r. Oil on panel. the Forbes was the first foreign steamer to arrive in China. (See report of the events below). Foreign merchants used the waters off Linton as the base of operation for the opium trade. This area was beyond the jurisdiction of the Chinese port authorities. From here opium was stored and sold on the famous "opium clippers." Depicted off the bow of the Forbes is a British clipper ship. The smaller secondary vessel is a "fast crab" or "scrambling dragon" used by the Tanka boatmen to transport the opium from the ships to Canton where it had been previously purchased. 9 1/4 x 12 1/4 in., unframed. Condition: Minor panel cracks u.r. and u.l., craquelure. Literature: Edward Kenneth Haviland writes in his book American Steam Navigation in China, American Neptune Inc., Salem, Massachusetts: "The first steamer to operate in Chinese waters is generally thought to have been Forbes, a small paddle steamer of 161 tons, constructed in 1829 by the Howrah Dock Co. of Calcutta. The same year she was chartered by James Matheson, of the well-known British house of Jardine, Matheson and Co. to tow the sailing vessel Jamesina to China. According to the account of Captain Henderson, commander of Forbes , the two ships left Sandheads, below Calcutta, on March 14 1830. On 13 April, fourteen days after leaving Singapore, the Read more…
Auctioneer:
Skinner
Date:
2005-06-05
