Portrait of an Officer of the East India Company

Portrait of an Officer of the East India Company

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Guan Zuolin

Guan Zoulin (known as Spoilum) was the first Cantonese artist documented (from 1774 onward) as painting in oil in the Western style. Once he had arrived in Guangzhou (Canton), a foreign ship’s supercargo selected a Cantonese merchant from a group of approved traders called the ‘co-hong’ to act as their agent and perform other duties while in China. The Cantonese merchants were some of the wealthiest and most respected, approved by the Emperor himself. Foreign traders often had portraits made of both themselves and their Cantonese counterparts. The identity of this sitter is unknown.
Artist
Guan Zuolin
(Chinese, active 1770 – 1810)
Title
Portrait of an Officer of the East India Company
Date
ca. 1785-1810
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
25 3/4 x 20 3/8 in. overall
Credit
Gift of C. Michael Spero and Joan E. Spero
Accession No.
2022.51.2
Classification
Paintings
Geography
China

Related

ca. 1993, sold by Martyn Gregory (London, England) to C. Michael Spero and Joan E. Spero (New York, NY); 2022, gifted to the Chazen Museum of Art

  • Martyn Gregory Gallery, "Genius of the China Coast: George Chinnery and China Trade Painting," 1993. p. 62, cat. no. 100

  • Genius of the China Coast: George Chinnery and China Trade Painting: Martyn Gregory Gallery, 5/5/1993–6/25/1993

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