(19th century)
Night Fire At Canton Harbor, circa 1856, unsigned, oil on canvas, 18 x 23-1/2 in.; original Chinese chippendale lacquered frame, lined with wax and linen, crackle, slight stetcher marks, some abrasions at edges from frame, scattered retouch primarily at left affecting approximately 5% of surface, conserved in 1971 by Morton Bradley; frame with abrasions. Notes: Hostilities began in 1839 between the British and the Manchu Empire over the use and import of British opium to China. The First Opium War ended with the Chinese agreeing to a series of unequal treaties. It was the end of strict Chinese control of foreign trade through one port, Canton. Growing unrest, because of unfair trade practices and humiliation at the hands of the British, caused rebellion and later the Second Opium War.
This scene depicts the burning of Canton’s foreign warehouses by the Chinese in 1856. With mainly British shipping in the harbor, the Anglican Church is framed by the fire raging through the American and British hongs. Very few of these depictions have been offered at auction with most being retained by museums.. Provenance: Herbert Schiffer Antiques, Exton, Pennsylvania; copies of correspondance and receipts for purchase and conservation accompany lot; Estate of Bette and Charles Krieger, Radnor, Pennsylvania; by descent in family

lined with wax and linen, crackle, slight stetcher marks, some abrasions at edges from frame, scattered retouch primarily at left affecting approximately 5% of surface, conserved in 1971 by Morton Bradley; frame with abrasions