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Lot Essay
This is one of the earliest oil paintings of a view in China by a professional European artist. Apart from John Webber, who visited China in 1779 and 1780, William Daniell and his uncle Thomas were the first British professional artists to visit South East Asia. This painting is one of a small group of ten known oil paintings of Chinese subjects by the Daniells.
The view shows Whampoa (Huangpu) reach, the deep-water anchorage and loading point for the western fleets. Goods were unloaded here before being shipped by barge ten miles up the Pearl river to Canton (Guangzhou). Due to China's reluctance to trade with Western countries, no foreigners were originally permitted to live in Canton. As trade grew, the traders were allowed to build a single row of warehouses along the river. In later years, Whampoa gradually developed into the harbour of Canton.
In 1784, Thomas Daniell was granted permission by the East India Company 'to proceed to Bengal to follow his profession of an engraver'. He took his twenty-six year old nephew, William as assistant. On their outward journey to India, they sailed on the Atlas, reaching Whampoa on 23 August 1785. They travelled up river to Canton where they spent several months sketching the people and scenery before proceeding to India. After spending several years in India, they returned to England by the same route by which they originally came. They proceeded again to China, visiting Canton and doing further sketching, before joining the convoy which carried the returning members of Lord Marcartney's unsuccessful embassy to Peking. In their Picturesque Voyage to India by the Way of China (1810), which includes two views of Whampoa, the Daniells extolled its 'sweet romantic scenery. Nothing indeed can exceed the beauty of the country in this vicinity'. The American W.C. Hunter also described the scene 'no finer sight of the kind could be seen in any part of the world than the Company's fleet collected at Whampoa, with their inward cargoes discarged, and every ship in beautiful order, waiting for teas..... everything indicated system, discipline and force'. On the Daniells' return to England, they set to work on Oriental Scenery, a magnificent collection of aquatints of their travels in India, followed by Picturesque Voyage to India by the Way of China, published in 1810, which included some prints of their time in China.
Dr. Maurice Shellim attributes this picture to William Daniell on stylistic grounds and has stated that it was probably painted from the sketch by Thomas Daniell in the collection of Matheson & Co. Ltd. William Daniell's Chinese views were based largely on drawings by Thomas. There is no evidence that Thomas Daniell executed any oil paintings of Chinese subjects. Another version of this picture by William Daniell is in the collection of Guardian Royal Exchange Assurance.
The view shows Whampoa (Huangpu) reach, the deep-water anchorage and loading point for the western fleets. Goods were unloaded here before being shipped by barge ten miles up the Pearl river to Canton (Guangzhou). Due to China's reluctance to trade with Western countries, no foreigners were originally permitted to live in Canton. As trade grew, the traders were allowed to build a single row of warehouses along the river. In later years, Whampoa gradually developed into the harbour of Canton.
In 1784, Thomas Daniell was granted permission by the East India Company 'to proceed to Bengal to follow his profession of an engraver'. He took his twenty-six year old nephew, William as assistant. On their outward journey to India, they sailed on the Atlas, reaching Whampoa on 23 August 1785. They travelled up river to Canton where they spent several months sketching the people and scenery before proceeding to India. After spending several years in India, they returned to England by the same route by which they originally came. They proceeded again to China, visiting Canton and doing further sketching, before joining the convoy which carried the returning members of Lord Marcartney's unsuccessful embassy to Peking. In their Picturesque Voyage to India by the Way of China (1810), which includes two views of Whampoa, the Daniells extolled its 'sweet romantic scenery. Nothing indeed can exceed the beauty of the country in this vicinity'. The American W.C. Hunter also described the scene 'no finer sight of the kind could be seen in any part of the world than the Company's fleet collected at Whampoa, with their inward cargoes discarged, and every ship in beautiful order, waiting for teas..... everything indicated system, discipline and force'. On the Daniells' return to England, they set to work on Oriental Scenery, a magnificent collection of aquatints of their travels in India, followed by Picturesque Voyage to India by the Way of China, published in 1810, which included some prints of their time in China.
Dr. Maurice Shellim attributes this picture to William Daniell on stylistic grounds and has stated that it was probably painted from the sketch by Thomas Daniell in the collection of Matheson & Co. Ltd. William Daniell's Chinese views were based largely on drawings by Thomas. There is no evidence that Thomas Daniell executed any oil paintings of Chinese subjects. Another version of this picture by William Daniell is in the collection of Guardian Royal Exchange Assurance.