Lot 287: Attributed to Chow Kwa

(Chinese, active 1850-1885), View of the Bund at Shanghai, circa 1855, unsigned, oil on canvas, 20-3/4 x 37-1/4 in.; original reticulated Chinese Export frame, restretched on original stretcher, relined with linen, retouch primarily in complex tear upper left, at two small tears at right, and tiny points in sky, stretcher with labels verso, conserved by Anthony Moore "Painting Conservation, York, Maine", on the recommendation of Carl Crossman; frame with restoration (conservation reports for painting and frame accompany lot) Provenance: This painting was purchased in Hong Kong and brought to the United States by Thomas Peck Bucklin, New York (1804-1870) on the clipper ship [Comet,] circa 1855; Edward Carrington Bucklin, his son; Harris Howard Bucklin, his son; Harris Howard Bucklin, Jr., his son; sold Sotheby's New York, June 23 and 24, 1993, lot 370 (catalog accompanies lot); Private Collection Reserve: $50,000 A similar view by Chow Kwa is in the exhibition catalogue [The China Trade,] 1600-1860); The Royal Pavilion Art Gallery and Museum, Brighton, ill. plate 56. There are few examples of Chinese export paintings that rival the finely painted and accurate depiction of the Bund at Shanghai. The palette of brown and blue and the minute detail of the brushwork suggest the hand of Chow Kwa, who was noted for his remarkable versatility and attention to fine detail. It is thought that Chow Kwa set up a studio in Shanghai in 1855, which is also approximately when this painting was executed. It depicts the Customs House as it appeared with renovated wings following damage incurred during The Sword Rebellion. To the far right is the British Consulate. To the right of the center is the Augustine Heard & Co. building, to which was added an imposing third story around 1854. The river is busy with various types of shipping vessels including an American steamer to the left. Acquired in China, this painting was brought back to the United States by Thomas Peck Bucklin (see lot 0288) on the clipper ship [Comet] sometime between 1854 and 1863. Bucklin was co-owner (Bucklin & Crane, New York) of the ship, which made a record passage from Liverpool to Hong Kong in 1854. For similar views by Chow Kwa see Northeast Auctions, Portsmouth, New Hampshire, November 7, 1999, lot 1042 and [The China Trade, 1600-1860], The Royal Pavilion Art Gallery and Museum, Brighton, ill. Pl 56. Another similar view can be seen in Knight & Chan, [Shanghai: Art of the City], Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, 2010, Catalog 2