Lot 195
195
The fire in Canton harbour 1856, a magnificent Canton fan painted with three vignettes with harbour views of Whampoa on the left, Macao on the right and Canton in the centre where fire has broken out in one of the hongs near the American gardens, the reserves with bats and auspicious emblems, the verso with figures on terraces, their clothes of fabric, their faces of ivory, including two horsemen in the bottom right corner within a border of auspicious emblems, the lacquer sticks with figures on terraces and pagodas and a row of figures at the top many of whom are carrying fans - 12in. (30cm), Canton late 1850s, in original lacquer box, labelled VOLONG CANTON
The fire in Canton harbour 1856, a magnificent Canton fan painted with three vignettes with harbour views of Whampoa on the left, Macao on the right and Canton in the centre where fire has broken out in one of the hongs near the American gardens, the reserves with bats and auspicious emblems, the verso with figures on terraces, their clothes of fabric, their faces of ivory, including two horsemen in the bottom right corner within a border of auspicious emblems, the lacquer sticks with figures on terraces and pagodas and a row of figures at the top many of whom are carrying fans - 12in. (30cm), Canton late 1850s, in original lacquer box, labelled VOLONG CANTON

Details
The fire in Canton harbour 1856, a magnificent Canton fan painted with three vignettes with harbour views of Whampoa on the left, Macao on the right and Canton in the centre where fire has broken out in one of the hongs near the American gardens, the reserves with bats and auspicious emblems, the verso with figures on terraces, their clothes of fabric, their faces of ivory, including two horsemen in the bottom right corner within a border of auspicious emblems, the lacquer sticks with figures on terraces and pagodas and a row of figures at the top many of whom are carrying fans - 12in. (30cm), Canton late 1850s, in original lacquer box, labelled VOLONG CANTON
See Illustration
Provenance
The fan is thought to have been purchased by the Portugese banker Vincento Pereira for his wife Aurelia and has remained in the family

Lot Essay

The land on which the church in the view of Canton was built was purchased in 1847, and the church was built shortly afterwards. The American garden and factory, like other factories, were levelled by this fire in 1856 and never re-built in a similar manner

See Illustration of a fan with identical views but ivory sticks in R. Woolliscroft Rhead "History of the Fan", London 1910, p.56

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