NAGASAKI SCHOOL (EARLY 19TH CENTURY)

A Chinese junk flying under the Dutch flag​

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Pen, ink, and watercolour on paper, 36.8 x 48.9 cm

 

Note:
The present painting, perhaps once part of a larger scroll, depicts a Chinese junk hired by the VOC, presumably at Nagasaki, where only Dutch and Chinese vessels were allowed to trade. The Dutch often commissioned Chinese junks to transport cargoes between Nagasaki and Batavia, showing the international character of the VOC trade in the East. In 1859 the Dutch lost their exclusive rights in Japan after Commander Perry had forced the Japanse to open their ports to American, English, French and Russian ships as well.