A SET OF FOUR CHINA TRADE PAINTINGS QING DYNASTY, CA. 1880 | 清 約1880年 《香港》、《澳門》、《廣州》及《廈門》外銷油畫一組四幅

Paul Mason Gallery, London.

Purchased from the above at the Grosvenor House Antiques Fair, London, in 1987.

Paul Mason Gallery，倫敦

於1987年購自格羅夫納古董博覽會，倫敦

Following the First Opium War, Hong Kong was formally ceded to the British in 1842 under the Treaty of Nanking. The present work demonstrates the settlement's subsequent development into a thriving port. A flag tower is visible on the top of the highest hill to the right known as Victoria Peak (installed in 1861). Visible in the harbour are British, French, American, and Dutch shipping, together with a 3-masted P&O ship and a 3-masted barque owned by Jardine, Matheson & Co.

The view of the Praya Grande in Macao showcases some of the most iconic buildings of the time, some of which are still visible today. In the background on the right are visible St. Anthony's church and the façade of St. Paul, built in 1582. The façade is what remains of the church, destroyed in a fire in 1835. The fortified castle Fortaleza do Monte, built in 1617 by the Portuguese, dominates the harbour atop the hill to the right, while Penha and its church are visible on the hill to the left. 

Situated at the mouth of the Pearl River, Canton (now Guangzhou) had long been a flourishing trade city, being the central focus of China and the west under the Canton system, up until the First Opium War. Fires broke out in 1743, 1822, 1841 and 1856, after which the hongs were not rebuilt, as visible in the present work. The view shows the Chinese Godowns with the city wall in the background, and an English paddle steamer, junks, sampans and a marine policy junk.

In 1842, Xiamen (once known as Amoy) became one of the five Treaty Ports opened to British trade. The present view is from the island of Gulangyu, or Kulangsu, now a pedestrian-only island which was then a foreign enclave. Amoy junks (with an eye painted on the bow) are visible, as well as English and French ships. The residences fly French, Dutch, and Portuguese flags.