Page 161 - Made For Trade Chinese Export Paintings In Dutch Collections

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Lamqua (act. 1820-1855), the ‘English and
Chinese painter’ or the ‘handsome face-painter’,
as the most celebrated Chinese painter was often
described in the many diary entries of visitors
to his studio. 176 An account by Tiffany Jr. of a
visit to his studio in 1844, indicates that his
accomplished portrait skills were generally
recognised by Western visitors:

The prince of Canton limners is Lamqua, who is
160 celebrated throughout China, and is indeed an
excellent painter. He takes portraits in the
European style, and his coloring is admirable.
Fig. 4.85. Portrait of
His facility in catching a likeness is unrivalled,
Catharina Cornelia
but wo [sic] betide you if you are ugly, for
Geertruida van Braam 177
Lamqua is not [a] flatterer.
Houckgeest and her
daughter Françoise,
The portrait genre is seldom seen in the studied
after an engraving of
Dutch corpus. An exception is the portraits of
Thomas Burke (1749-
the family members of Andreas Everardus van
1815), after a painting of
Braam Houckgeest (1739-1801) in the collection
Angelika Kauffmann,
of the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam (Figure 4.85.)
Lady Rushout and her
and the three watercolours on pith paper in a
daughter Anne,
red leather-covered, gilt-edged album (book) in
anonymous, 178
naval officer, navigator, and pioneer fur trader, the collection of the Tropenmuseum. (Figures
oil on glass, c. 1795,
gave an account of Tianna, a Hawaiian prince of 4.86. to 4.88.)
63.5 x 49 cm,
Atooi Island, who, during a stay in Canton in As we know from Crossman, the collections
Rijksmuseum
1787, sat as a model for Spoilem: “But of all the of Chinese export paintings outside of the
Amsterdam, inv.no.
various articles which formed his perfect wealth, Netherland testify to the fact that the English
AK-RAK-2007-6.
his fancy was the most delighted with a portrait and Americans let themselves be portrayed
of himself, painted by Spoilem, the celebrated demonstrably more. 179 My own field work
artist of China, and perhaps the only one in his research in the Hong Kong Museum of Art
line, throughout that extensive empire.” 174 (2007), the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking
We know from another valuable reference in the Corporation (2007), and the Peabody Essex
diary of the business agent Ralph Haskins of Museum (2010), and my familiarity with diverse
Roxbury, Massachusetts (1814-1855), who had catalogues also indicate that a number of English
his portrait painted by this master export painter and American collections of Chinese export
in 1802, that “while nothing else could be done painting are well supplied with portraits of
I went to Spoilem and sat two hours for to have officers, captains and important merchants from
my portrait taken. He was 10 dollars each and the historical China trade era.
does a great deal of business in that line. I was I encountered portraits of Chinese women
surprised to see how expert he was in doing it.” 175 and men, more than portraits of European men
Another famous Chinese portraitist was or women, in a number of Dutch museum
Figs. 4.86. to 4.88.
Three portraits of
westerners (in album),
anonymous,
watercolour on pith
paper, 19th century,
11 x 8.7 cm,
Tropenmuseum/
Nationaal Museum van
Wereldculturen,
inv.nos. TM-3728-485,
486 and 487.