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Mid 19th century Chinese carved sandalwood box of historical importance with wax seal depicting horses mounted on plaster and card, 1842. Box previously contained the first Treaty between China and Britain, the Treaty of Nanking (Nanjing), which ended the First Opium War (1839-42). Negotiations were held on 29 August 1842 on HMS Cornwallis anchored at Nanking with Sir Henry Pottinger representing the British. 39cm x 27.5cm.
Provenance: consigned for sale by the descedents of Robert Thom Esq., who was the British consul at Ningpo where he died in 1846. Thom was a translator during the hostilities and sailed north from Canton aboard HMS Blonde as translator to Captain Thomas Bourchier. His ship anchored outside Namoy to deliver a letter from British Foreign Secretary Lord Palmerston laying out demands for the opening of China to foreign trade. He produced an 1840 Chinese translation of Aesop's Fables and was said to be one of the very few westerners at the time to speak the Beijing dialect of Mandarin Chinese well. This lot is sold with over 30 letters and correspondence to Robert Thom's brother, the Reverend Dr. David Thom of Liverpool, dated from the mid 19th Century. It is believed that the box was given to Robert Thom then passed on to his brother following his death.
