Paintings from the Hong Kong Museum of Art

 

HoRse under a tree

Zhang Mu (1607 – 1683)
1672

In this painting, Horse under a tree, in which a vertical composition is adopted, the horse is portrayed with slender and refined brushstrokes, while the fine definition of the skeleton and the subtle tonal gradation of the horse's coat give a quality of anatomical accuracy. This realistic approach follows the painting tradition developed by famous horse painters such as Han Gan of the Tang dynasty and Li Gonglin of the Northern Song dynasty.

Source info: HKMoA
Photo supplied by the Hong Kong Museum of Art

Chicks searching for food

Qi Baishi (1864 - 1957)
1948

The paintings of artist Qi Baishi are distinguished by subject matters that come from everyday life, and he often incorporated analogies from vernacular literature or popular belief. For example, the Chinese believe that chickens possess five virtues: literary merit, martial arts skills, courage, benevolence and trust, so chickens and roosters were thus one of the artist's favourite themes. The focus of the painting is a rooster, looking bright-eyed and alert, surrounded by five chicks that seem to be at its beck and call. The painting is executed in a carefree style, yet the few strokes for the tail of the rooster and the chicks reveal the dexterity and great imagination of the rushwork.

Source info: HKMoA
Photo supplied by the Hong Kong Museum of Art

Ma Kok Temple, Macao

Marciano António Baptista (1826 – 1896)
Mid 19^th century

Located on the shore of the inner harbour, the ancient Mak Kok Temple was built during the Ming dynasty (1368 – 1644) and dedicated by the fishermen who built it to Tin Hau, the Goddess of the Sea to whom they owed their livelihood. The open ground outside the temple naturally became a meeting place for fisher folk and an obvious attraction for Portuguese artist Marciano António Baptista , who depicts a lively scene with a blacksmith, women, children and some pigs wandering around.

Source info: HKMoA
Photo supplied by the Hong Kong Museum of Art

The Whampoa anchorage

Youqua (act. 1840 – 1880s)(attri.)
ca. 1850

From 1757 to 1840, Guangzhou, with Whampoa Island as her outer harbour, was the only port open to foreign trade in China. In this work attributed to Youqua, a trade painter who excelled at harbour scenes, the fine delineation of the boats and buildings is executed by particularly meticulous brushstrokes.

Source info: HKMoA
Photo supplied by the Hong Kong Museum of Art

British naval detachment encamped at Kowloon

Anonymous
ca. 1900

Believed to have been executed by an amateur military officer, this oil painting depicts a British naval detachment encamped at Kowloon white tents and the red flag present a strong contrast of colours.

Source info: HKMoA
Photo supplied by the Hong Kong Museum of Art

Foreign factories in Guangzhou

Anonymous
ca. 1817 – 1819

The district was known as the "Foreign Factories" or the "Thirteen Hongs". "Thirteen" was merely a title; the actual number of foreign countries that rented premises in the district fluctuated. This oil painting shows the flags of the different countries flying in front of the factories they occupied at the time.

Source info: HKMoA
Photo supplied by the Hong Kong Museum of Art

Guangzhou foreign factories on fire: Beginning

Anonymous
1822

This is the first of an oil painting series describing the incident, and it shows the outbreak of the fire. The artist has cleverly used gloomy colour tones to create the sense of gloom. The dark evening sky, the cold moon, the crimson tongues of flames and the thick smoke imbue a sense of urgency and highlight the gravity of the drama.

Source info: HKMoA
Photo supplied by the Hong Kong Museum of Art

Production of tea: Packing tea for export

Anonymous
19^th century

This picture presents a typical tea-packing scene: at the rear, tea is being trampled down into chests, which are then weighed on the tripod in the centre; in the foreground to the left, a Chinese supplier and a Western merchant discuss final arrangements before shipment.

Source info: HKMoA
Photo supplied by the Hong Kong Museum of Art

The Ma Kok Temple, Macau

Decker R. Von (drawn)
W. Korn & Co. (lithographed)
1860

Source info: HKMoA
Photo supplied by the Hong Kong Museum of Art

Guangzhou Factories

William Daniell (1769-1837)
1805-1806

Source info: HKMoA
Photo supplied by the Hong Kong Museum of Art

Hong Kong from the Mid-Levels looking northwest

Marciano Antonio Baptista (1826 – 1896)
ca. 1858

This work shows the view from Magazine Gap Road northwest towards Central. His works are mostly presented in a gradation of close, medium and distant views, with the subjects arranged from near to far and strong colours fading out progressively. The illusion of depth is produced by the aerial perspective. Major buildings are depicted in meticulous detail to highlight their features.

Source info: HKMoA
Photo supplied by the Hong Kong Museum of Art

The facade of St. Paul's Church Macau

William Heine(drawn)
ca. 1845

Source info: HKMoA
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Waterfall at Aberdeen, Hong Kong

William Havell (1782 – 1857) (attri.)
ca. 1816

The painting, attributed to the mission's artist William Havell, depicts the ship's crew setting out towards the waterfall, which is today believed to be located at the Waterfall Park at Aberdeen.

Source info: HKMoA
Photo supplied by the Hong Kong Museum of Art

The Chinese junk, Keying

Artist unknown; Rock Brothers & Payne (published)
1848

The junk in the picture is the Keying, the first Chinese junk to sail round the Cape of Good Hope of Africa. The Keying survived many storms without major damage. She took only twenty-one days to sail from America to England – which was a very short sail even for an American packet-ship of the time. The Keying is, therefore, the pride of the shipbuilding industries of China.

Source info: HKMoA
Photo supplied by the Hong Kong Museum of Art

A bouquet of flowers

Sunqua (act. 1830s – 1870s)
1830s

This still life is a work by Sunqua, one of the most prominent trade painters in Canton of his day. Active from 1830 to 1870s, he specialised in oil paintings, and his favourite subjects were ships and scenes of trading ports. Despite the use of Western art medium and the minimal application of chiaroscuro to be observed here, the meticulous treatment of the subject, the infusive pigmentation and the thick palette all show the retention of Chinese painting styles and techniques.

Source info: HKMoA
Photo supplied by the Hong Kong Museum of Art

A Chinese sampan girl

George Chinnery (1774 – 1852)
ca. 1852

Many of George Chinnery's works are about Chinese sampan girls. The girl in the painting wears Tanka clothes and a rattan hat, holding a scarf in her hand. Chinnery's signature elements are omnipresent in this figure painting: the quick but sure brushwork; his favourite device of using dashing vermillion in the cheeks and full lips; the use of shadows under the arm and between the fingers; as well as the graceful pose that turns this girl of the working class into an idealized nymph.

Source info: HKMoA
Photo supplied by the Hong Kong Museum of Art

Bocca Tigris

Anonymous
ca. 1860

Bocca Tigris, which means "Tiger's Mouth", was a narrow spot at the estuary of the Pearl River that Western ships had to pass through to reach Guangzhou. The Qing government guarded the entrance to the river with numerous forts and batteries. Permits were examined here to ensure that foreign ships had settled all duties and taxes at the Whampoa customs before they departed. Although the artist is not known, this oil on canvas is composed in a style and with a perspective traditionally associated with Western painting.

Source info: HKMoA
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Bamboo aqueduct, Hong Kong

Auguste Borget (1808 – 1877) (drawn)
Eugene Ciceri (1813 – 1890) (lithographed)
1838

This colour lithograph depicts agricultural land allegedly in the Wong Nai Chung Valley. In the centre, a bamboo pipe connected to a little canal on the summit forms an aqueduct conveying water across the valley to fertilise the land, and the picture thus reflects Chinese wisdom in solving daily problems.

Source info: HKMoA
Photo supplied by the Hong Kong Museum of Art

A Cantonese opera scene

Anonymous
19^th century

Opera was traditionally performed at Chinese festivals and ceremonies, and a market would be set up at the same time next to the opera site. Presenting the scene at one of these occasions, this oil painting depicts various activities at a market in the foreground, while an opera performance can be seen in the middle to the right.

Source info: HKMoA
Photo supplied by the Hong Kong Museum of Art

A Chinese lady

Anonymous
Early 19^th century

One of the most striking features of this portrait of a typical Chinese beauty is her pale complexion, characteristic of elegant and leisured ladies of her day. She has an oval face, with arch eyebrows and an obviously fastidious dress, while her valuable jewelleries complement and accentuate her beauty. Although the artist is unknown, the impact of traditional Western figure painting can clearly be discerned in this oil on canvas.

Source info: HKMoA
Photo supplied by the Hong Kong Museum of Art

Victoria City

Youqua (act. 1840 – 1870s) (attri.)
1854

This fine oil painting is an accurate portrayal of the city of Victoria and its harbour as they appeared a century and a half ago. As well as presenting a record of the locations of buildings, the painting delineates their forms in meticulous detail: Government House, then under construction but completed in 1855, features a temporary thatched roof, while to the east is St. John's Cathedral, which was finished in 1849.

Source info: HKMoA
Photo supplied by the Hong Kong Museum of Art