[China] The thirteen Hongs or Factories of Canton

Two views, oil on canvas on board (marouflé), 21.5 x 31.5 cm and 22 x 36 cm. The smaller painting w. the flags of the United States, France, Great Britan and Denmark on flagposts in front of the buildings, the larger painting (showing significant craquelure), is monogrammed "Co" in lower right corner and dates to first half 19th cent.

Though both views exhibit defects and require cleaning, their perspectives are intriguing. *"The Thirteen Factories, also known as the Canton Factories, was a neighbourhood along the Pearl River in southwestern Guangzhou (Canton) in the Qing Empire from c. 1684 to 1856 around modern day Xiguan, in Guangzhou's Liwan District. These warehouses and stores were the principal and sole legal site of most Western trade with China from 1757 to 1842." (Wikipedia, see the entire article under the title Thirteen Factories there).