Acquario cinese dopo William Alexander 1796

William Alexander

€ 195

Inter-Antiquariaat Mefferdt & De Jonge

• A proposito di opere d'arte
  “Economy of Time and Labor, exemplified in a Chinese Waterman” Copper engraving by P. Medland after a drawing by William Alexander (1767-1816 ) from the “Authentic account of an embassy from the King of Great Britain to the Emperor of China; including cursory observations made, and information obtained, in travelling through that ancient empire” written by Sir George Leonard Staunton and published April 12, 1796 in London by G. Nicol. Coloured by a later hand. Size (image): 17,9 x 23 cm. The embassy was headed by Earl George Macartney (1737-1806), who was dispatched to Beijing in 1792. He was accompanied by Staunton a medical doctor as his secretary, and a retinue of suitably impressive size, including Staunton’s 11-year-old son who was nominally the ambassador’s page. On the embassy’s arrival in China it emerged that the 11-year-old was the only European member of the embassy able to speak Mandarin, and thus the only one able to converse with the Emperor. Lord Macartney's embassy was unsuccessful, the Chinese resisting British overtures to establish diplomatic relations in view of opening the vast Chinese realms to free trade, but it opened the way for future British missions, which would eventually lead to the first Opium War and the cession of Hong Kong to Britain in 1842. It also resulted in this invaluable account, prepared at government expense, largely from Lord Macartney's notes, by Staunton, of Chinese manners, customs and artifacts at the height of the Qing dynasty. The engravings are of special interest because of their depiction of subjects that very few Europeans had heard of or seen, showing how advanced Chinese civilisation was on a technical, artistic and organizational level. On his journey to Canton Staunton is impressed with the efficiency of the sailors: "The number of craft of all kinds on the part of the river near the city was immense; but they were all conducted without confusion. The watermen were uncommonly expert, and it was not unusual to see a large boat entirely managed by one man, who rowed, sailed, steered, and smoked his pipe at the same time. He held the sheet or strong rope belonging to the sail with one hand, he steered the boat with the other, and with his foot he pulled an oar, which he feathered at every stroke as neatly as could be done by the hand." Price: Euro 195,-
• A proposito di opere artista

  William Alexander (1767–1816) fu l'unico artista inglese della fine del XVIII secolo ad addentrarsi nell'entroterra cinese, un viaggio che avrebbe segnato la sua carriera e consolidato la sua reputazione. Nato a Maidstone, nel Kent, figlio di un carrozziere, mostrò presto un talento artistico e studiò a Londra, probabilmente sotto la guida di Giulio Cesare Ibbetson, prima di entrare alla Royal Academy Schools.

  Nel 1792 Alexander si unì all'ambasciata britannica di Lord Macartney in Cina come disegnatore junior. Sebbene la missione diplomatica non riuscisse a stabilire relazioni commerciali durature con l'imperatore Qianlong, fornì ad Alexander uno straordinario materiale di prima mano. In un'epoca in cui le cineserie affascinavano l'Europa, i suoi acquerelli dettagliati di paesaggi, architettura e vita quotidiana cinesi ottennero ampi consensi. Molti furono incisi per il resoconto ufficiale dell'ambasciata e per pubblicazioni come "View of the Headlands, Islands, etc." (1798) e "A Voyage to Cochin China" di John Barrow (1806).

  Tornato in Inghilterra, Alexander perfezionò i suoi schizzi cinesi trasformandoli in opere da esposizione per la Royal Academy e lavorò nel vivace circolo di acquerellisti attorno al Dottor Monro, al fianco di artisti come Thomas Girtin. Nel 1802 divenne professore di disegno paesaggistico presso la Royal Military Academy di Great Marlow.

  Nel 1808 si dimise da questo incarico per diventare uno dei primi curatori del British Museum, ricoprendo il ruolo di Conservatore delle Stampe e dei Disegni e assistente bibliotecario. Lì iniziò a compilare il primo inventario di stampe e disegni del museo e illustrò importanti antichità della collezione Townley. Membro della Society of Antiquaries, Alexander si dedicò in seguito sempre più a paesaggi pittoreschi e studi di oggetti classici.

  Morì nel 1816 a Maidstone, all'età di quarantanove anni. Oggi, le sue opere sono conservate in importanti collezioni pubbliche, tra cui la British Library, la Tate e il Victoria and Albert Museum, e rimangono una preziosa testimonianza visiva della Cina di fine XVIII secolo vista attraverso gli occhi britannici.

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