ANONYMOUS (China, circa 1810). From birth to obtaining the rank of Mandarin, Twelve gouaches. Watermark J. Whatman, 1794 - 14 3/4 in. x 19 in. Estimate $12,000-16,000
PROVENANCE: From the collection of Sir James B. Urmston ( President of the Select Commitee, Canton ).
Probably from the studio of Pu Qua, who was active in Canton at the end of the 18th century.
Similar examples are in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and the Peabody-Essex Museum in Salem and are illustrated in Customs and Condition of Chinese Streets in the 19th Century, 360 Professions in China, eds, Shijian Huang and William Sargent, Shanghai, 1999.
