Radiant with its red iron hull, the 1876 Sunderland-built Welsh barque would be identifiable even without the Eryri Shipping Company house flag proudly aloft. Along with three near identical sister ships of the line, they sailed the world, delivering Welsh slate mined from the Snowdonia region and returning to Great Britain with New Orleans cotton, Canadian timber and the spices, silks and silver of the Orient.

On approach to the island of Hong Kong and City of Victoria, the crown jewel of British colonialism (if one excuses them for America), the barque has every stitch of canvas driving her 219.5 feet, 1081 ton-plus stone cargo weight to port. Undoubtably, Welsh quarrymen traveled along with the sailors to deliver their expertise in carving the sought-after building material, both in Asia and the Americas.

The unidentified Chinese artist used a uniquely styled blue rolling sea to set the sailing merchant upon, complimenting the vivid coloration further with crisp lines and mature shadowing. The sky holds a subtle white vapor which gives the tall ship plenty of breadth. Along with Glanpadarn, Glanperis & Glanivor, Glandinorwig was managed by D.P. Williams, a druggist of Llanberis, Wales, from her home port of Caernarvon. They derive their names from towns of the region, while the company name translates as “place of the eagles”, referring back to the mountain where the slate was mined. The stone was shipped to cities the world over, including China’s recognizable island.

This large example of Chinese Export painting is an excellent portrait of the American Clipper EAGLE WING, built by James O. Curtis at Medford, Massachusetts in 1853. As well as the nicely rendered clipper, this image provides an interesting look at the topography, architecture and international shipping found at Hong Kong in the mid-Nineteenth Century.

Of interesting note is the American merchant ship seen just beneath EAGLE WING’s bowsprit. The red and white house flag on her mainmast is the private signal of the merchant shipping firm; Farnham and Co. of Salem, Massachusetts. A name pennant, unidentifiable, flies at the mizzen truck. Off this vessel's bow a British side wheeler wears the code signal "P" on her foremast as a pilot request to depart the harbor. Offshore is a British warship, her commissioning pennant seen as a thin wisp at the top of her mainmast.

On the reverse of this “China Trade” painting is a typewritten label inscribed with names of the ship's owners, builder and master, along with her dimensions, fate (lost with all hands in 1865), and a list of the many sailing records she set. This painting is accompanied by a very rare clipper ship card, announcing a Sept. 1st voyage to San Francisco from New York for the extreme clipper.

This ship's portrait offers a very desirable and rare full view of the harbor of Hong Kong toward the late 1800's.

Beginning early in that century and accelerating into the 1870's with the dangerous, exciting smuggling of opium, the China trade route has been an important era in commerce. Equally, the development of competition between America and Britain for the growing tea trade contributed to a focus in the orient. As a result, many captains commissioned talented Chinese artists to document these vessels whose reputation for speed & efficiency were breaking all records.

Over the years, the value of these "China trade" paintings has shown a very strong, consistent response in the world's arena, several factors of which contribute to the success of these important paintings. One of these is due to fine esthetic qualities that the works possess, a traditional portrait style colored with the romance of the era.

China trade paintings have shown a very strong and consistent appeal in the marine art market. The intrinsic value of these paintings with their traditional portrait style combined with the romantic qualities they possess make them sought after worldwide by both marine & non-marine collectors.

The era of China Trade shipping is part of an important and exciting period of western maritime history. Also known as Chinese Export paintings, these primitive or naive images are traditionally unsigned. Less than a dozen names of the skilled Chinese artists who created them are even known.

The BELLEROPHON was a sail/steam vessel of 2,154 tons launched in 1880. The smokestack in this painting shows the distinctive black and blue livery of Sir Alfred Holt's Blue Funnel line which operated the vessel until 1898. British sailors served on the “Billy Ruffian” and her like in the last true dominance of the merchant marine over air cargo worldwide. The 320 foot BELLEROPHON ended her sea service in Japan where she was broken up for scrap in 1923.

Escalating early in the 19th century and into the late 1870s with the dangerous smuggling of opium, the China trade route has been an important era in trade. The development of competition between America and Britain for the growing tea trade contributed to a focus in the orient. As a result, many captains commissioned talented Chinese artists to document these vessels, both sail and steam powered, whose reputation for speed, efficiency were known to break all records.

Values of China trade works have shown very strong responses in the marine art market. Several factors contribute to this success: they combine a traditional portrait style with very romantic overtones; their demand is also due to the distinct features that the works possess. A Chinese school work can be recognized immediately by its unique style and technique: straightforward and direct, yet sophisticated in both coloration and detailing.

The common sailors, with increasing disdain for the pomp of the British admiralty in the naming of her great ships, especially to the education-challenged, called the fine ship the “Billy Ruffian”; a name they could infinitely more or less identify with. China trade shipping era is part of an important, exciting period of western history lasting nearly two centuries and continuing through our present times.

This portrait by an anonymous Chinese port painter shows the ex-British steam screw yacht BERLIN after she had been acquired by the U.S. army quartermaster corps and renamed U.S.S. Meade for service in the Spanish American war. In April, 1899, after the close of hostilities the MEADE carried homeward-bound occupation troops from Matanzas, Cuba before proceeding to the south China sea and duty in the newly acquired U.S. possessions in the Phillippines.

Built of iron in 1874 at GREENOCK, Scotland, the 5641 ton BERLIN/MEADE would have been one of the largest steam yachts of her time. Her length overall was 488.6' with a beam of 44.2' and a draught of 34.9'. As an army transport the MEADE carried a crew of 138 men and 11 officers. She served during World War I and was listed as an army transport until 1921. She sold to a San Francisco doctor from the army at fort mason in march 1934.

The artist shows the MEADE flying the flag and wearing the funnel livery of the U.S. army quartermaster corps designating her a troop ship. In contrast, her yachting pedigree is evident in the graceful clipper bow and decorative figurehead. Note the MEADE’s added defensive 3" gun batteries being manned on the fore deck.