George Chinnery 1774-1852 Pen and ink study of a young woman playing the harp. Dated lower right 1832. Pen and ink on laid paper 11.5 by 17 cms. To mounted image. Provenance: Chinnery Family descent. The artists Great Granddaughter Kathleen Scotson Clark D.1959 Private collection UK thereafter.
Chinnery was raised in London, where he showed an early talent as a portrait painter. He entered the Royal Academy schools in 1792, and by 1795 had exhibited twenty portraits at the Academy. Capitalising on a family connection with the East India Company, Chinnery moved to Calcutta (Kolkata) in 1802. Few artists made this dangerous and difficult journey, and he was soon celebrated as the leading British artist in India. He fled to Portuguese-controlled Macau in 1825 due to financial troubles. There, he gained patronage from Chinese ‘Hong’ merchants, who were licensed to trade with westerners and members of the opium trade.