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1979-309, Print
Loum Kiqua
1979-309, Print

Loum Kiqua

Date1757
Engraver ca. 1710 - ca. 1770
After work by
OriginEngland, London
MediumMezzotint engraving on laid paper
DimensionsOverall: 13 15/16 × 9 15/16 in (35.4 × 25.24cm) (trimmed to platemark)
Credit LineMuseum Purchase
Object number1979-309
DescriptionLower margin reads: "D. Serres ad vivum pinx.t/ Loum Kiqua/ T. Burford fecit,/ The Chinese, came to Lisbon in 1755, was there at the Time of the Earthquake and providentially escap'd with Life; after many hardships & ill treatments, / from the Portuguese, he came over to England, in 1756; where he met with different usage, having had the Honour to be seen by his Majesty, and the rest of the Royal--/ Family; most of the Nobility &c. by whom he was much caress'd, having made application to the Hon.ble the East India Company for his passage home, he was kindly received,/ and generously accomodated on Board one of their Ships to carry him to Canton, his Native Country./ Publish'd according to Act of Parliament, April 1757"

Chinese characters at lower left corner that are the Chinese equivilent of his name, though romanized.Label TextLoum Kiqua, a Chinese merchant, traveled to Lisbon, Portugal, around the time of the Great Iberian earthqauke of 1755. Though he survived the incident, the English makers of this print claim he suffered “many hardships & ill treatments from the Portuguese.” The following year, he arrived in London where he had an audience with the King and royal family. The English East India Company, which oversaw trade in Asia and India, “kindly received and generously accommodated” him abroad one of their ships for his return to Guangzhou (Canton). This English print could have been sent with Loum Kiqua to make a good impression as European powers competed for access to restricted Chinese markets.

An inscription in ink at the lower margin of the print reads "very like" suggesting that a contemporary owner might have seen Loum Kiqua in person.Inscription(s)In iron gall ink on the lower margin: "very like"
On verso upper right corner: "Geo 2.d. Class 18"ProvenanceBefore 1979, The Old Print Shop (New York, NY); 1979-present, purchased by The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation (Williamsburg, VA)