William Alexander (British, 1767-1816),A View of Part of the Great Wall of China, Called by the Natives Van-lee-ching, or Wall of Ten

Description:

William Alexander (British, 1767-1816)

A View of Part of the Great Wall of China, Called by the Natives Van-lee-ching, or Wall of Ten Thousand Lee, Taken Near the Pass of 'Cou-Pe-Koo' plate XXIV
Signed and inscribed "Alexander/delr ." l.r., identified on labels affixed to the
reverse.
Watercolor on paper/board, sight size 11 x 17 3/4 in. (27.9 x 45.1 cm),framed.
Condition: Toning, foxing, light abrasion l.c., not examined out of frame.

N.B. The watercolor presented here shows several differences from the published engraving: the horse in the right foreground lacks a rider in the engraved version, and the figures by the base of the near tower are removed in the plate. The description for the plate in Staunton's Account indicates how amazed the British were with the wall. The folio describes the wall as follows, "At this place the wall is carried over the summits of the highest mountains, some of which are not less than three thousand feet in perpendicular height, and appear to be almost inaccessible...This wall, according to the charts of the empire made from actual surveys, is more the fifteen hundred miles in length, and in many places it is double, and even triple, for the better defence of the passes. The masonry and brickwork in the towers alone exceed those of all London." (volume I, page xxii).
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 abrasion is in the shadow on the wall, and measures approximately 3 inches. It is faint and shows little if any evidence of breaks to the paper fibers. Sheet appears to be wove paper/board. Provenance: Private New England collection.

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