Portrait of Wu Bingjian (1769-1843), known as Houqua

Wu Bingjian, known as Houqua, was a Chinese merchant based out of Hong Kong and one of the richest men in the world in the early nineteenth century. He made his fortune trading with the British Empire during the First Opium War, when he was one of the few merchants authorized to trade silk and porcelain with foreigners. His image was oft repeated by artists, especially by the studio of Chinese artist Lam Qua, likely after an original by his teacher, British artist George Chinnery. There is another similar example as this one in the collection of the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, MA.