Chinese Observing the British (Lord Macartney's) Embassy
Watercolour
ca. 1793 (painted)
ca. 1793 (painted)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
William Alexander (1767-1816) accompanied the first British embassy to China as a draughtsman. He stayed there from 1792 to 1794. At this time the British knew very little about China, although they had imported artefacts, notably porcelain, for more than a century. Alexander kept a journal of his time there (the manuscript is now in the British Museum) and made many drawings to record the visit.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Chinese Observing the British (Lord Macartney's) Embassy (popular title) |
| Materials and techniques | Watercolour |
| Brief description | Watercolour by William Alexander entitled 'Chinese Observing the British (Lord Macartney's) Embassy', British School, ca. 1793. |
| Physical description | Watercolour entitled 'Chinese Observing the British Embassy'. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Style | |
| Credit line | Bequeathed by William Smith |
| Subject depicted | |
| Places depicted | |
| Summary | William Alexander (1767-1816) accompanied the first British embassy to China as a draughtsman. He stayed there from 1792 to 1794. At this time the British knew very little about China, although they had imported artefacts, notably porcelain, for more than a century. Alexander kept a journal of his time there (the manuscript is now in the British Museum) and made many drawings to record the visit. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 2931-1876 |
About this object record
Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
| Record created | January 14, 2014 |
| Record URL |
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest
