Lot 424. A grisaille and gilt 'Hongs of Canton' punchbowl, Qianlong period, circa 1785; 14 in. (35.5 cm.) diameter. Estimate USD 15,000 - USD 35,000. Price realised USD 18,750. © Christie's Images Ltd 2019. 

A continuous scene of the Canton waterfront, small junks moored in the foreground and the foreign factories flying their flags, the interior with the British East Indiaman 'PITT', named on the stern.

Provenance: Acquired from The Art Exchange, New York, in 1952 
The Collection of J. Jefferson and Anne Weiler Miller, Baltimore.

Note: This view of the hongs is more painterly than the more familiar Mandarin palette bowls, with less sky and sea. Compare a grisaille example in the Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, Massachusetts (illustrated by K.I. Choi, The Magazine Antiques, October 1999, Hong Bowls and the Landscape of the China Trade). 

The Pitt was launched in 1780 and sailed to China in 1786 under Captain George Cowper and in 1788 under Captain Edward Manning. 

Christie's. Chinese Export Art Featuring the Hodroff Collection, Part IV, New York, 17 January 2019.