Colonial Painting –inbound Junk Ship Mouth of the Pearl River, Hong Kong C1914

Historical Colonial Marine Painting – Inbound Junk at the Mouth of the Pearl River, Hong Kong, 1914 Attributed to the Ah Hee Studio / Circle of Ah Hee (Hong Kong School, c.1895–1925) (Please note: we also have the companion painting, “Outbound Junk”, available as a separate listing. If you wish to purchase both together, please get in touch.) Subject & Medium A powerful southern Chinese three-masted junk drives under full sail towards Hong Kong at the mouth of the Pearl River, her red hull punching through a lively swell beneath a high, hazy South China sky. Medium: Gouache on paper, dated 1914. Composition & Technique The artist centres the composition on a classic Pearl River Delta trading junk: broad-beamed, high-sterned and notably seaworthy. Her distinctive battened lug sails are shown fully set, each panel carefully shaded to convey the tension of wind and canvas. The stepped masts, long projecting bow and high poop deck are all typical of the southern coastal trading type, constructed to carry heavy cargo between the river ports and Hong Kong while remaining agile in shifting monsoon conditions. The junk’s red-painted hull – a colour associated both with anti-fouling treatments and auspicious fortune – stands out brilliantly against the green-grey water. Rows of ports and hatches, the sweep of the steering gear and the bustle of crew on deck are rendered with meticulous care, presenting the vessel not as a generic “Chinese boat” but as a specific working ship. The choppy, green-tinged sea is animated with quick strokes of opaque white, giving a convincing sense of spray and forward motion. In the distance, low misted hills dissolve into a pale horizon, capturing the humid luminosity of the South China Sea and locating the junk precisely at the mouth of the Pearl River. The technique combines a calligraphic handling of water and sky, drawn from Chinese tradition, with Western-style maritime draughtsmanship – a hallmark of Hong Kong export ship portraits. Signature Along the lower edge, the work is fully inscribed in English: “A. Hean” at lower left, “Mouth of the Pearl River” at the centre, and “Hong Kong” at lower right. These inscriptions fix the work’s exact setting and follow the conventions seen on comparable Hong Kong School ship portraits of the period. About the Artist & Attribution The painting is attributed to the Ah Hee Studio / Circle of Ah Hee, active in Hong Kong from around 1895 to 1925 and regarded as an important successor to the great Canton workshops of Tingqua and Sunqua. Ah Hee and his associates specialised in harbour views and ship portraits in gouache, painted for Western merchants and naval officers who wished to record the vessels and ports of their service in the Far East. The present work, signed “A. Hean”, displays all the hallmarks of that atelier: precise rigging, a sensitive yet accurate handling of the junk’s distinctive hull and sail plan, and the familiar English inscription format. Painted in 1914, when steamships dominated long-distance trade but traditional junks still carried cargo throughout the Pearl River Delta, it belongs firmly to the final phase of the China Trade painting tradition. About the Frame The painting is preserved in its fitting Hong Kong faux-bamboo gilt-wood frame with ochre-gold bevelled mount – a quintessential export presentation. The frame, finished to imitate bamboo, reflects a fashionable style favoured by the better Queen’s Road Central shops between 1905 and 1915. The gold card mount has a pressed bronze-powder surface that has mellowed gently over time. On the reverse, a photograph of the original graphite framer’s annotation is attached, reading: “2/6 each cut mounts / Oak and a slip / 9 Jul 1914 / 14 + 11 in / To be sent before 6 o’clock.” This charming note ties the framing securely to Hong Kong on 9 July 1914, the day the work was prepared for export, probably by one of the leading houses such as Lane Crawford & Co. or A.S. Watson & Co. For modern conservation, the picture has been discreetly re-glazed with AR70 museum-grade UV-filtering glass, preserving the historic frame and mount while providing excellent protection and clarity. Dimensions (Framed) Width: 42 cm Height: 35.5 cm Depth: 2 cm A highly manageable, elegant size that sits beautifully in a study, library or on a maritime collection wall. Provenance Painted and inscribed in Hong Kong in July 1914 by a member of the Ah Hee Studio, the work was framed there, as confirmed by the framer’s inscription. It was almost certainly acquired by a British expatriate or naval officer and taken back to the United Kingdom shortly before the outbreak of the First World War, remaining thereafter in a private U.K. collection by family descent. In the 21st century it has been curated by Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD and selected for exhibition in Sailing Through Time – Maritime Art of the East at the Famous Lord Hill Museum, Shrewsbury, Autumn 2025. Why You’ll Love It A wonderfully characterful Chinese junk in full sail, showing all the details of a working Pearl River trading vessel – from her battened sails to her busy working deck. A signed, titled and precisely located Hong Kong School gouache, depicting the mouth of the Pearl River in 1914 at the very end of the age of sail in South China. A rare time capsule of colonial Hong Kong taste. An attribution to the influential Ah Hee Studio, carrying forward the China Trade painting tradition and highly regarded by collectors of maritime and Hong Kong art. A ready-to-hang piece that unites Chinese craftsmanship, Western maritime history and the romance of traditional junk boats in a single, compact and highly decorative work. Purchase & Enquiries Click “Buy It Now” to make this Hong Kong marine masterpiece yours before it’s gone. Explore our gallery, Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD, to discover more hand-picked treasures. Questions are very welcome – please feel free to send us a message with any enquiries about this piece or about purchasing it together with the companion painting, Outbound Junk.