SAMUEL RANNDALL BEARSE entering Hong Kong harbour
Artist
Chinese School
Date1873 - 1897
Object number00005647
NamePainting
MediumOil on canvas, gilt frame
DimensionsOverall: 710 x 925 x 49 mm, 4.6 kg
ClassificationsArt
Credit LineANMM Collection
Purchased with USA Bicentennial Gift funds
Collections
DescriptionOil painting on canvas by an unknown artist depicting the starboard side of the SAMUEL RANDALL BEARSE as it enters Hong Kong Harbour.
HistoryIn the 1800s Chinese goods including opium, tea, domestic furniture, porcelain and silver ware were traded from China to Europe, America and Australia. Ships captains and owners commissioned hundreds of ship portraits from Chinese trade artists for the purpose of commemorating a particular ship or wreck. The artists rarely signed their works and often depicted the ships sailing in formulaic views.
The S.R.BEARSE was a 607 ton bark built at Yarmouth Maine in 1873 by Giles Loring. It was named after Samuel Randall Bearse, a lumber merchant active in the mid 19th century. S.R.BEARSE was chartered by Henry W Peabody & Co during the 1880s and transported cargo packets between Boston and Australia. The ship was abandoned in 1897 after grounding on a coral reef in Bermuda on its way to Boston with a load of salt.SignificanceThis painting is representative of the prolific number of 19th century ship portraits produced by Chinese artists. It also demonstrates the importance of Hong Kong as a port of foreign trade in the 1800s.
1870-1882
