182 - CHINA, for export, 19th century

CHINA, for export, 19th century "Portrait of Daoguang, Emperor of China," after Lam Qua Gouache on rice paper Framed under glass 30.5 x 19.5 cm (Wormholes) Provenance: - Collection from southern France This work depicts the Chinese Emperor Daoguang (1782–1850), the eighth ruler of the Qing Dynasty, who reigned from 1820 to 1850. He is depicted here in a portrait, seated slightly in profile against a pink curtain, wearing a dark blue imperial robe adorned with dragons and traditional embroidered motifs, along with the official Manchu hat and a ruyi scepter. The inscription in Chinese characters, accompanied by the French caption “Taokwan, Emperor of China,” identifies the sovereign and, more broadly, helped spread his image beyond China’s borders. This portrait is attributed to the Chinese painter Lam Qua (Guan Qiaochang, 1801–1860), an artist active in Canton within the foreign concessions during the 19th century and particularly renowned for his portraits commissioned by Western clients. His work bears witness to the artistic and commercial exchanges that were flourishing at the time in the trading posts of Canton, where Chinese painters adapted certain Western techniques to meet the expectations of European and American travelers and merchants. This work in particular bears a resemblance to a depiction of Emperor Daoguang reproduced in the periodical *Musée des familles* on October 1, 1849, under the caption “Tao-Kwang, Emperor of China,” specifying that it was based on an authentic portrait painted in watercolor on rice paper. Another reproduction appeared in *L’Illustration* on May 25, 1850, on page 324, accompanied by the caption: “Tao Kwang, Emperor of China, after a portrait painted in watercolor on rice paper in the Chinese style, by Lam-Qua (from the collection of M. de Lagrénée).” For a similar work that has come up for auction, see the Sotheby’s auction of December 12, 2025, in Paris, lot no. 74.