Lamqua (active 1825-1860)


Portrait of Ah YouOil on woven cotton canvas, framed, with an inscription on the reverse of the stretcher reading "Xianfeng jiu nian (1859) Guangdong huashi Lingua Guan Xiaocun xie Aomen sanban Yayou xiang" (Ninth year of Xianfeng reign (1859) Guangdong artist Lamqua Guan Xiaocun painted a portrait of Ah You, sampan (boat woman of) Macao). 14 x 11in (35.5 x 28cm)
|啉呱 關曉村 亞有肖像圖 布面油畫ProvenanceFrost and Reed ltd, London, by repute (label on reverse)This charming depiction of young woman bears the hallmarks of the Chinnery/Lamqua style that flourished in the early 19th century China Trade painting Macao and Guangdong. The subject's gentle smile, a touch of vivid red in the lips and flashes of light from the distant fire beneath the pagoda and in the finger ring of the sitter are the aesthetic attributes from this school of painting. Both George Chinnery (1774-1852) and Lamqua were known to have depicted a Tanka (Danjia minority) boatwoman named Ah You or Ah Loy as their model.For a close look at Lamqua's work, see Patrick Conner's "Lamqua Western and Chinese Painter" in Arts of Asia, vol 29 no 2 , pp 46-64, including another painting with a similarly inscribed stretcher, figure 27.