Circle of George Chinnery (1774-1852) – Sampans on Water, Macau, circa 1836

Extremely rare study of Macau from the circle of George Chinnery "Sketch Book of a Painter". Sampans on Water, circa 1836, and, verso, working sketches and financial notes.

Pencil and ink wash on paper. SN/AC-330-00022 – PROVENANCE: The Arnold Fellows Collection

Rare insight into Macau-life, combined with sketches and financial notes verso, on double-sided sheet of A3.

George Chinnery (1774-1852) was born in London. He exhibited portraits at the Royal Academy when he was still a teenager, and may have studied under Sir Joshua Reynolds. His contemporary at the academy was JMW Turner.

Chinnery suffered financial problems and left England for Asia in 1802, aged 28, on the run from creditors. He never returned.

He went first to the capital of British India, Calcutta, and stayed for 23 years working for eminent clients. 

He was confident of his art. In a letter to his friend, Maria Browne, in 1817, he wrote: "There are not even six at home [in England] whom I’d stand in any awe of."

Despite his talent and confidence, he wasn't able to manage his money, and remained in chronic debt most of his life.

In 1814 he wrote to the outgoing Governor-General of India, the 1st Earl of Minto, asking for £8,000’s worth of financial assistance ‘to settle [back] in England’. The money never arrived.

In 1825, still worried about creditors, he took a ship to China, where he remained for the rest of his life. He mostly lived in Macau, but travelled to other areas, including Hong Kong, to continue his work as an artist.

He favoured street scenes and harbour scapes. He rose each day at dawn to sketch before breakfast — before working sketches up into watercolours and oils.

Chinnery planned all his works in great detail. Each picture began as preparatory drawings in notebooks or folded A3 like this one. His studies were made in pen and ink wash over pencil, few of which have survived. 

Verso are working notes and sketches of figures on camelback. The artist's planning includes more than 100 words and numbers. These appear to be an itemised, long list of proposed works. There are also costs, or sale prices, amounting to £860, circa 1820 (more than £100,000 post 2023). 

Chinnery used quick shorthand and long hand notes on many of his pencil sketches.

Chinnery was the basis for the artist Aristotle Quance in the James Clavell novel Tai-Pan

He died in Macau in 1852, aged 78.