Date: 12 Jan 2026 - 12 Jan 2026
This study re-examines the circulation of Chinese paintings for the domestic market in nineteenth-century Britain, challenging the prevailing view that such works attracted little attention in the West before the early twentieth century. It is generally believed that pre-twentieth-century examples of Chinese paintings were dominated by ‘export paintings’, produced for foreign markets and often regarded as souvenirs or as painted wallpaper for interior decoration. By contrast, the few examples of paintings made for domestic taste that entered the UK were primarily linked to the looting of imperial palaces. These works attracted little notice compared with more prized artefacts such as cloisonné or porcelain, and it is believed that their artistic value remained poorly understood or appreciated until the following century.
However, during the course of his PhD research into the provenance of a Qing imperial album, Haoyang Zhao discovered that paintings intended for the domestic Chinese market were in fact traded in Britain during the late nineteenth century, though primarily within the rare book trade, rather than the better-studied antique market. By analysing catalogues of rare book dealers, records of specialised auction sales, and the activities of a prominent manuscript collector, this presentation aims to showcase observations on how Chinese paintings made for the domestic market were catalogued, circulated, and understood in the UK at the time.
This is a part of the UMAG Online Lecture Series. For other lectures in the series, please click here.
Date: Monday, 12 January 2026
Time: 4:00–5:00 p.m. Hong Kong | 8:00–9:00 a.m. London
Venue: Online via Zoom
Language: English
Please click here to register.
Speaker: Haoyang Zhao, Associate Lecturer, The Courtauld Institute of Art
Discussant: Florian Knothe, Director, University Museum and Art Gallery, The University of Hong Kong
Speaker
Haoyang Zhao is Associate Lecturer at The Courtauld Institute of Art, London. He received his PhD from the University of Glasgow, where he examined the creation, function, and dispersal of the Qing imperial album Huangchao Liqi Tushi (皇朝禮器圖式), as well as the provenance of its scattered surviving pages outside China. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in History of Art from SOAS, University of London, and an MRes in History of Art from the University of Glasgow. His research interests include the visual and material culture of imperial China, alongside the history of collecting, the art market, and provenance in late 19th- and early 20th-century Britain. Prior to his appointment at the Courtauld, Haoyang worked as a researcher at Sotheby’s and is currently Editorial Assistant at Orientations magazine.
Discussant
Florian Knothe researches the history of decorative arts in the 17th and 18th centuries, with particular focus on the social and historic importance of royal manufacture. Knothe has published and lectured internationally on the early modern fascination with Chinoiserie and cross-cultural influences in art in Europe and East Asia. As a museum studies professor, he teaches curation and object-based learning, provenance research and cultural heritage studies. His courses train ambitious future cohorts of museum professionals who will shape the growing scene of cultural institutions in greater China and beyond. Knothe began his career at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, focusing on European sculpture and decorative arts. Prior to working at HKU, he was Curator of European glass at The Corning Museum of Glass overseeing the European and East Asian collections.