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Lot Essay
The sitter, the Viceroy of Liangjiang (1842-1844), wears the rank badge of the crane, the highest of the ten ranks of the civil Mandarins. Qiying or 'Keying' concluded many of the 'unequal treaties' on behalf of the Chinese Emperor, including the Treaty of Nanking, which ended the First Opium War in 1842 and the Sino-American Treaty of Wangxia with Caleb Cushing in 1844. His failure to conclude negotiations with Britain and France at the end of the Second Opium War in 1858 led to his arrest and suicide.
For the role of his own portrait in his diplomacy with the West in the mid-19th century see Yeewan Koon, 'The Face of Diplomacy in Nineteenth Century China: Qiying's Portrait Gifts' in Narratives of Free Trade: The Commercial Cultures of Early US-China Relations, Hong Kong, 2012, pp.131-48: 'If presents are sent one should firmly refuse them. If they are ambiguously accepted, the laws of the Heavenly Dynasty are very strict. ... The said envoys respected the instructions and obeyed. But when we met, small gifts were given, such as foreign wines or perfumes, their value being slight, and as the intent was sincere it was improper to reject them. Your slave gave only personal accessories such as snuff bottles and pouches in return – to give the idea of returning more than was received. Furthermore, the four countries: Italy, England, the United States, and France asked for my portrait. These were made and presented to all. (Excerpt from memorial dated November 23 1844 to Emperor Daoguang).'
For the role of his own portrait in his diplomacy with the West in the mid-19th century see Yeewan Koon, 'The Face of Diplomacy in Nineteenth Century China: Qiying's Portrait Gifts' in Narratives of Free Trade: The Commercial Cultures of Early US-China Relations, Hong Kong, 2012, pp.131-48: 'If presents are sent one should firmly refuse them. If they are ambiguously accepted, the laws of the Heavenly Dynasty are very strict. ... The said envoys respected the instructions and obeyed. But when we met, small gifts were given, such as foreign wines or perfumes, their value being slight, and as the intent was sincere it was improper to reject them. Your slave gave only personal accessories such as snuff bottles and pouches in return – to give the idea of returning more than was received. Furthermore, the four countries: Italy, England, the United States, and France asked for my portrait. These were made and presented to all. (Excerpt from memorial dated November 23 1844 to Emperor Daoguang).'