Lot Details
Lot 2071
Chinese School
19th Century
The HMS Waterloo and an American Frigate in Port at Whampoa
Signed with conjoined initials MA (?) (lr)
Oil on canvas
19 7/8 x 23 inches (50.4 x 58.4 cm)
During the nineteenth century, it was the custom for both British and American warships to "show the flag" at ports throughout the world as a way of exhibiting the power of each nation's navy. This scene shows two such ships at Whampoa, a trading port on the Pearl River delta in southern China, identifiable by its distinctive pagoda. Here the HMS Waterloo, a British ship of the line, is shown anchored with two small Chinese junks on her port side, probably taking on provisions. In the middle distance, an American frigate can be seen, with some members of her crew setting out for shore in a small boat. Although the name of the frigate is not given here, it appears to an "American 44," one of a group of formidable frigates carrying forty-four or more guns, to which such notable ships as the USS Constitution ("Old Ironsides") and the USS Constellation belonged.
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