Portrait of a Gentleman
American, English, or possibly Cantonese, ca 1840
Oil on canvas, 12 ¾ x 11 ¾ inches, framed

This finely executed portrait resembles the manner of British painter George Chinnery (1770-1842). Chinnery was born in London and trained at the Royal Academy. He spent much of his life in Asia, predominantly in Macau, though he also spent time in Hong Kong and Canton. His canvases depicted the life of ordinary people in Asia, the Pearl River Delta landscape, and portraits of American and British merchants, naval officers, and opium traders. This portrait could possibly have been painted by the Cantonese artist Lam Qua, whose work closely imitated Chinnery.

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