A Malefactor Chained to an Iron Bar, Antique China Print, 1801
€ 390
Original antique · The actual sheet photographed · Certificate of authenticity on request · Sold unframed · Worldwide shipping from € 15 (rates)
Date
1801
Mapmaker / artist
J. Dadley after Pu Qua, for George Henry Mason
Publisher
W. Miller, Old Bond Street, London
Technique
Stipple Engraving
Coloring
Original hand color
Sheet size
24.9 × 34.5 cm (9.8 × 13.6 in)
Condition
Good
Reference
BG-14488-6
What the condition grades mean
Excellent
Bright and clean, with no faults worth mentioning.
Very good
Only light signs of age, such as faint toning.
Good
Normal signs of age for a sheet of this period: toning, some foxing, small marks or neat old repairs.
Fair
Clear faults such as staining, tears or repairs, priced to match.
Every fault we see is written in the condition note, and the whole sheet is shown uncropped in the photos.
Condition
Even age toning. Handling soiling along the left, right and top edges. Scattered light foxing in the margin. All four corners complete.
About this sheet
This is an original antique hand colored print of a Chinese punishment, a stipple engraving by J. Dadley for George Henry Mason's The Punishments of China. A man stands chained at the ankles to a tall iron bar that rises beside him and carries a placard of Chinese characters at its head, his hands in a small wooden frame. The figure is hand colored against bare paper, the plate number is engraved in the upper corner and the imprint of Dadley and W. Miller runs beneath.
The plate belongs to The Punishments of China, Illustrated by Twenty Two Engravings, with Explanations in English and French, by George Henry Mason, printed for W. Miller of Old Bond Street in London in 1801. Mason had the original drawings made at Canton by the local artist known as Pu Qua, and J. Dadley engraved them in stipple for the London edition.
The placard named the offense so that passers by could read it, which made the punishment as much public shaming as restraint. The single standing figure against empty paper gives this plate a stillness the busier scenes do not have and it holds a wall on its own. The sheet is mounted and carries its letterpress leaf on the verso, and it frames well in plain dark wood for a study, a library or a hallway.
Even age toning. Handling soiling along the left, right and top edges. Scattered light foxing in the margin. All four corners complete.
This is an original antique print, not a modern reproduction. This item is sold unframed. Any framed or interior images are shown for presentation and inspiration only, unless the listing explicitly states that the item is sold framed.
