FINE CHINA TRADE PAITNINGS FROM MARTYN GREGORY, LONDON, PART II
SPOILUM (ACTIVE 1770-1805)
Portrait of Captain John Corner of the East Indiaman Carnatic Reverse painting in oil and gold paint on glass, a label attached to the old backboard, handwritten in ink, reads 'This painting on glass, done in China, is the portrait of John Corner Esq., Captain of his own ship The Carnatic. He was the eldest son of William Corner Esq. And Ruth Corner, London. He married the daughter and heiress of W. House, but died without children. He adopted his wife's sister's son, afterwards the Revd. Frank Rivers of the Church of Knightsbridge, London. This portrait was taken more than a hundred years ago. 1879', original wood frame. 26.7cm (10 1/2in) high x 20.3cm (8in) wide.
史貝霖（活躍於1770-1805）東印度船卡納提克號的John Corner船長肖像玻璃鏡畫 有框
Provenance: Martyn Gregory, London
Published, Illustrated and Exhibited: Martyn Gregory, Paintings of the China Trade; Historical pictures by Chinese and Western artists 1780-1980, catalogue 85, London, 2009/2010, p.91, no.100 T.Audric, Chinese reverse glass painting 1720-1820: an artistic meeting between China and the West, Bern, 2020, pp.130, 206-207, no.85/297 (published and illustrated)
來源：倫敦古董商Martyn Gregory
展覽著錄： Martyn Gregory，《Paintings of the China Trade; Historical pictures by Chinese and Western artists 1780-1980, catalogue 85》，倫敦，2009/2010年，第91頁，編號100 T.Audric，《Chinese reverse glass painting 1720-1820: an artistic meeting between China and the West》，瑞士伯爾尼，2020年，第130頁，第206-207頁，編號85/297（著錄）
John Corner (c.1750-1816) first sailed to the East as a young officer aboard the York, which made four voyages to India and China between 1767 and 1776. Between 1780 and 1783 he captained the East India Company's packet Fox, making two eastern voyages; he then made two voyages to Canton as Captain of the Carnatic, an 1169-ton Indiaman built in 1787 by John Randall of Rotherhithe, the first of these from October 1788 to January 1789, and the second from September to December 1791.
The Carnatic made four more voyages to China. In 1792, under the command of Captain James Jackson, the ship carried back to England two varieties of camellia (the double white Alba Plena and the double striped Variegata) which may be said to have initiated the vogue for camellias in Britain. They were brought back from China for John and Gilbert Slater; the latter was the principal owner of the Carnatic, and was also responsible for importing the rose known as 'Slater's Crimson China', one of the four 'stud Chinas' from which many modern roses are descended.
The Cantonese artist known to Westerners as Spoilum was the first Chinese export artist to establish an individual style which can be recognised today. His earliest documented work is a reverse-glass painting of Captain Thomas Fry, dated 1774, which like the present portrait shows the subject full-length against a background of sea and a rocky coast; for a similar composition see Martyn Gregory, Catalogue 81, 2005/2006, no.117. It is clear however that Spoilum was not the only Cantonese artist painting portraits on glass for Western clients at this time. Nothing is known of the artist or his studio apart from a handful of documented pictures and literary references, so it is difficult to distinguish with certainty between the work of Spoilum and that of his colleagues. See P.Conner, 'The Enigma of Spoilum and the origins of China trade painting', The Magazine Antiques CLIII no.3, March 1998, pp. 419-425.
Having worked as a painter of reverse portraits on glass in the 1770s, Spoilum evidently adopted the medium of oils on canvas in the following decade. He portrayed Chinese officials as well as the Western merchants and ships' officers who came to Canton during the trading season.
For information and estimates on domestic and international shipping as well as export licences please contact Bonhams Shipping Department.
Buyers' Obligations
ALL BIDDERS MUST AGREE THAT THEY HAVE READ AND UNDERSTOOD BONHAMS' CONDITIONS OF SALE AND AGREE TO BE BOUND BY THEM, AND AGREE TO PAY THE BUYER'S PREMIUM AND ANY OTHER CHARGES MENTIONED IN THE NOTICE TO BIDDERS. THIS AFFECTS THE BIDDERS LEGAL RIGHTS.
If you have any questions about the Conditions of Sale, please contact your nearest client services team.
Buyers' Premium and Charges
For all Sales categories, buyer's premium excluding Cars, Motorbikes, Wine, Whisky and Coin & Medal sales, will be as follows:
Buyer's Premium Rates
28% on the first £40,000 of the hammer price;
27% of the hammer price of amounts in excess of £40,000 up to and including £800,000;
21% of the hammer price of amounts in excess of £800,000 up to and including £4,500,000;
and 14.5% of the hammer price of any amounts in excess of £4,500,000.
A 3rd party bidding platform fee of 4% of the Hammer Price for Buyers using the following bidding platforms will be added to the invoices of successful Buyers for auctions starting on or after 6th July 2024 – Invaluable; Live Auctioneers; The Saleroom; Lot-tissimo.
VAT at the current rate of 20% will be added to the Buyer's Premium and charges excluding Artists Resale Right.
Payment Notices
For payment information please refer to the sale catalog.
Shipping Notices
For information and estimates on domestic and international shipping as well as export licenses please contact Bonhams Shipping Department.
