Footnotes

Marciano Antonio Baptista (1826-1896) 香港街景 一組兩幅 水彩紙本 鏡心

Provenance: An English private collection
Bonhams New Bond Street, 9 May 2006, lot 41
Martyn Gregory, London

來源：英國私人收藏
邦瀚斯新邦德街，2006年5月9日，拍品41號
倫敦古董商Martyn Gregory

Marciano Antonio Baptista (1826-1896) was born to a Portuguese Macau family, son of a Lorcha captain. He received his education at the seminary of São José. By the late 1850s, he and his wife, Maria Josepha, had settled in Hong Kong.

Baptista's artistic journey began in the 1840s when he started copying drawings by George Chinnery. His talent was recognised, and a letter in the Hong Kong China Mail of 3 September 1857 praised his work, describing him as 'a pupil for a time of Chinnery'. In the same year, Baptista himself advertised 'views of Hong Kong, Macao, etc., after the late Mr Chinnery', as well as his own original sketches.

His most active period was between 1850 and 1870. During this time, he created numerous watercolour views of Hong Kong, which, while influenced by Chinnery, he developed a distinct style. Baptista's attention to detail, particularly in his depictions of architecture and shipping, gives his works significant historical value.

This rare pair of watercolours features Gilman's Bazaar (機利文街), a bustling street crowded with vendors at Marine Lot 55. In one painting, the view is from Queen's Road towards the harbour on a winter afternoon. The shop signs, numbered 19 to 22, advertise various goods and services, including tobacco, textiles, herbal medicine, money exchange, footwear, spirits, and watches.

The other painting depicts the same street from a different perspective, with the artist's back to the harbour in a winter morning. The shop signs include money exchange, fabrics, herbal medicine, foreign tobacco, and Tungshun shop. The Danish flag marks the godowns of Jardine, Matheson & Co.

The Illustrated London News has described Gilman's Bazaar as 'a picturesque bit of Hong-Kong' with descriptions of the colourful scene of drying clothes, the smoky atmosphere of the Chinese houses, and the bustling activity of the street.

These works offer a glimpse into the nascent stages of the burgeoning city of Hong Kong. For comparable versions by Baptista, see Martyn Gregory, cat.82, 2006, no.3 and 4.

Regarding the shop signs listed in the paintings, those in the first painting are as follows:
Tobacco from the Americas (三和號承辦金山洋烟)
Watchmaker (何廷記修整鐘表)
Raw and processed materials (生熟貨發客)
Silk, satin, and fabrics (福成號綾羅網緞布▢)
Chinese herbal medicine (杏春堂 and 月池內外方府)
Money exchange (錢銀便換)
Footwear (鞋機)
Varieties of spirits (各色美酒)

The shop signs in the second painting are:
Chinese herbal medicine (玉和堂 and 大生堂)
Textiles and fabrics (長盛網緞)
Money exchange (金益找換花錢銀兩)
Foreign tobacco (生熟洋烟 and 南利承辦金山頂上公烟)