William Alexander (British, 1767-1816) Chinese Barges of the Embassy Preparing to Pass Under a Bridge

Description:

William Alexander (British, 1767-1816)

Chinese Barges of the Embassy Preparing to Pass Under a Bridge plate XL from Sir George Staunton's An Authentic Account of An Embassy from the King of Great
Britain to the Emperor of China...
Signed and dated "Wm. Alexander f 1793."
Watercolor on paper/board, sight size 11 x 17 3/4 in. (27.9 x 45.1 cm),framed.
Condition: Toning, staining, foxing, not examined out of frame.

N.B. William Alexander traveled in the first English embassy to China, which was led by George Lord Viscount Macartney. It sailed out of Portsmouth on September 26th, 1792. The secretary to the embassy was Sir George Staunton, who wrote a careful account of the journey that was illustrated by engravings created after Alexander's watercolors. The first version of the Account was published in 1797 in two volumes plus a folio of plates by W. Bulmer & Co. in London. Alexander documented the people, architecture, and customs of all of the cultures encountered during the voyage, although the published plates pertain solely to the Chinese. His drawings, as can be seen here and in lot 219, are highly detailed and his observations of both the Chinese and British in these settings are carefully rendered.
Estimate $1,000-1,500

Out of the frame, the work is glued between its facing and backing mats. The sheet is at least partially loose from the backing (though it is impossible to know how much of any margin or edges might be laid down). The foxing is scattered and unobtrusive. The staining is along the right edge of the composition, and is visible primarily to the sky - although it continues into the landscape, it blends into the foreground. Sheet appears to be wove paper/board. Provenance: Private New England collection.

Keywords