Hamstringing a Malefactor, Antique Hand Colored China Print, 1801
€ 420
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-14488-1
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
Light uneven toning, browner toward the edges. Marked handling soiling along all four edges. Scattered light foxing in the margin. Slight wear at the bottom right corner.
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 is held face down on the ground by one officer while a second kneels at his feet with a knife and a shallow basin stands beside them. The figures are hand colored in blue, red and buff against plain paper, the plate number is engraved in the upper corner and the Dadley and W. Miller imprint runs beneath the image.
It comes from George Henry Mason's The Punishments of China, published in London by W. Miller in 1801 with twenty two stipple engravings and a page of explanation in English and French facing each one. The drawings were bought by Mason in Canton from the artist Pu Qua and engraved for publication by J. Dadley.
Hamstringing was a punishment for repeat escape and Mason's plate is the standard European illustration of it. The book was read across Europe within a few years of publication and the French text printed alongside the English shows it was aimed at both markets from the start. 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.
Light uneven toning, browner toward the edges. Marked handling soiling along all four edges. Scattered light foxing in the margin. Slight wear at the bottom right corner.
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.
