Lot 124
CHINESE SCHOOL, MALACCA
QING DYNASTY, CA. 1800-1820
Auction: 07 November 2025 from 10:00 GMT
Description
清 約1800-1820 馬六甲圖 銅本油畫 木框
oil on brass, painted with the Straits Settlements from the sea, with British, American and Chinese shipping moored offshore, the British flag flying on the flagstaff over the old fortress, A Famosa, beyond, framed
Dimensions
11.1cm x 15.2cm; frame: 16.3cm x 20.4cm
Provenance
Private Scottish collection, Aberdeen; Inherited from the current owner's grandparents, who acquired this in the 1960s.
蘇格蘭私人收藏，亞伯丁；繼承自現任藏家之祖父母，其購藏於1960年代。
Footnote
This rare panoramic view of the town and port of Malacca dates to the period of temporary British occupation, between 1795 and 1818, when the Dutch were conquered by the French in the Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815). The original sketch was likely drawn before 1807, that is, before the walls of the A Famosa (Portuguese fortress built in Malacca in ca. 1512) were demolished. According to historical records, before Malacca was returned to the Dutch, the British destroyed the fort and city walls in August 1807.
A highly comparable oil on brass painting of Malacca, Chinese School, c.1800-1820, from the Kelton collection, was sold at Christie's London, 7 Nov 2019, part lot 9.