Chinese School: View of Macao Circa 1860

watercolor and gouache on paper.
framed and glazed.

The paper is laid down and glued to a piece of cardboard. There are minor losses to the edges, particularly to the lower edge. There are minor pinhole losses to the work and a few creases throughout, some of which are associated with areas of loss. There are some areas of minor loss to the sky. There are a few areas of water damage at the sky, which could be original to the piece. There is a vertical crease which runs down the left edge of the painting. There is a one inch area of loss in the trees at the lower right section that has been painted in.
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This view of Macao is from the South facing North, with a detailed view of the Praya Grande. The painting shows many recognizable structures such as the ruins of the Cathedral of St. Paul, the Fortress of Sao Francisco on the far right, the Fort of Guia just to the right atop a hill, and Fort Monte, the most dominant building in the painting center left. The Cathedral, which was rebuilt in stone in 1850, is shown just to the left of the center while a paddlesteamer with an American flag is shown entering the bay.
A painting of Macau dated to the 1850s illustrated by Crossman, 1991, p. 411, C4, lacks the parade of lampposts which are shown in the present lot; however, these lampposts are depicted on a painting dated to the 1860s by The University of Hong Kong, 2003, p. 115, no. 56, suggesting a similar date for the present image.