How Qua, Senior Hong Merchant at Canton, China 

Editor: This is George Chinnery's portrait of How Qua, a Hong merchant in Canton. It's striking how the artist used the materials to render light and shadow. What can you tell me about it? Curator: Chinnery’s choices illuminate the dynamics of the art world. The materials themselves speak to the trade routes and colonial exchanges of the time. How does the depiction of Qua relate to the economic power he held, and the means of his own self-representation? Editor: So, it's less about artistic genius and more about the material conditions and power structures at play? Curator: Precisely! Analyzing the materials and the social context reveals so much about artistic production and its relationship to the world of commerce. Editor: I never thought about it that way before!