The Collections

This large painting is believed to depict the 'Winchelsea' and other Indiamen at sea. The ships are named at the base of the canvas as the 'Ceres', 'Lowther Castle', 'Glatton', 'Marquis of Ely', 'Princess Amelia', 'Winchelsea' (in the centre) and…

Japan pattern saucer, part of a breakfast service that belonged to Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson (1758-1805). The saucer is painted in colours and gilt. The centre is decorated with a basket of flowers and there are three panels of flowers on…

Chinese export porcelain bowl which belonged to Captain James Cook (1728-1779) and his wife Elizabeth. The outside is painted with peonies and pomegranites in a garden. Inside the rim is a floral border and there is a citron flower in…

Scale 1:48. A contemporary full hull model of a Blackwall frigate (circa 1840), a cargo merchantman. The model is decked, equipped and fully rigged with sails (modern) set. There are also 14 sails which were replaced when restored in 1979.…

A Chinese compass consisting of a wide thin disk of wood painted black. At the centre of the compass is a small shallow bowl containing a dry-pivot needle. The needle is short and thin and points south. There is a…

A Chinese compass consisting of a wide thin disk of wood. At the centre is a small shallow bowl containing a short, thin dry-pivot needle that points south. There is a line in the bowl indicating the north-south direction. Surrounding…

Scale: approximately 1:13. A model of a Chinese snake boat, used as a smuggling vessel in the Canton Delta, Kwangtung. The model is made entirely in wood which has been varnished a dark brown finish. The hull is formed of…

Scale: circa 1:20. Full hull and fully-rigged model of a type of Northern Chinese junk known as an Antung Trader. The model has been built from drawings and measurements made by the donor, Lt (later Lt-Cdr) David Watkin Waters RN,…

Scale: circa 1:18. Ethnographic boat model of a Chinese k'uai-tu ('quick leaping') or war junk. One unrigged mast. Square platform at bow. Brightly painted. Rudder and keel fenestrated suggesting represents craft from Kwangtung. Equipped with six light pivot guns and…

The telescope is of a standard configuration for the early nineteenth century: three draw tubes and an achromatic objective lens. The maker’s name, ‘Fraser & Son London’, is engraved on the eyepiece end and helps to date the piece to…

Qianlong period miniature Chinese garden with a peach tree in coral, a pine tree in carved wood and ivory, tinted ivory bamboos. They symbolise longevity, perseverance and integrity since they can all endure cold weather and are known as the…

A scene showing the Chinese Court of Justice held at the British factory of Canton, 8 March 1807. The court was convened after a Chinese man was killed by rioting sailors from the East Indiaman 'Neptune'. While on shore leave…

On the sail of the junk shown there is an inscription bearing five Chinese characters, namely, 'Fo Shan Lian He Dian Zao' ('manufactured by the United Shop in Foshan') The inscription probably refers to the manufacturer of the sails, rather…

Daniell and his uncle, Thomas Daniell, were important artist-explorers of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. They travelled throughout the East, above all in India, and published an influential series of illustrated volumes of ‘Oriental Scenery’. Both also exhibited…

The picture shows the activities taking place at Anjer Point, a well-known convoy rendez-vous and watering point on the western tip of the island of Java. It shows the homeward bound China fleet of East Indiamen, at anchor in the…

This painting relates to the British presence in China. In 1842 the Opium War between Britain and China ended with the signing of the Treaty of Nanking. This effectively opened up the five main Chinese ports of Canton, Amoy, Ningpo,…