Page 185 - Made For Trade Chinese Export Paintings In Dutch Collections

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scholar and collector of Chinese (art-) objects,
played a crucial role in the existence of this trio.
Moreover, much is known about the trajectory
they have followed between then and now. 52
First, this section treats ideas about dating, and
the formal aspects of stylistic and compositional
issues will be discussed briefly. It is well
worthwhile scrutinising this trio closely in
order to discover the role that these (kinds of)
paintings played in the lives of the European
travellers to China in general, and in the Dutch
context in particular.

Early harbour views
With their exquisite detail, the harbour scenes
provide a wealth of information about these
three locations that were so meaningful to
Westerners. The harbour of Macao, a Portuguese
possession from 1557 to 1999, is situated
around 115 kilometres from Canton. (Figure
5.20).
When Western merchants arrived in the Pearl
River Delta, Macao was an obligatory first stop
on the way to their trading posts in Canton.
They had to apply for trading permits here, and
find local pilots who could lead them through
Bocca Tigris, the narrow passage in the river
delta, where there was a second compulsory stop
at the customs post. The town in the centre of
the View of Macao, viewed from Penha Hill, is
home to a number of churches and monasteries,
large and small, with Western architecture –
some with domes and some without; some with
austere façades, some lavishly ornamented.
(Figure 5.21.) Familiar landmarks can be seen in
the centre: the façade of St Paul’s Church at the
foot of Monte Forte (right of centre), the
baroque church of St Domingo and the church

Figs. 5.16. to 5.18. Set down on canvas, Fig. 5.19. Room 1.05
of three paintings c. 1773, 52 x 76 cm, in Rijksmuseum
with view of Macao, Rijksmuseum Amsterdam with the ---
Whampoa Anchorage, Amsterdam, inv.nos. three paintings from 52 For more information on Royer see Van Campen
and of the quay of SK-C-1722 to 1724. the Royer Collection 2000-a, b and c. For the later museum history of the
Canton, anonymous, (2013). objects see Effert 2003 and 2008.
oil on paper, laid 53 Sargent, Palmer & Tsang (eds.) 1996, 54.