Artwork
Part of the A-Ma Temple, Macau

Part of the A-Ma Temple, Macau is a drawing by the Romanticist artist George Chinnery. It dates from 8 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
About this work
Overview
The drawing records the stairway and surrounding structures of the A‑Ma Temple in Macau, framed by the foliage of the hill that rises behind the complex. The composition captures the temple’s architectural layout while situating it within its natural setting.
Subject & Meaning
Beyond the temple scene, the reverse side of the sheet contains sketches of cattle sheltered beneath a thatched roof and a series of Chinese tombs. These ancillary studies hint at the artist’s interest in both the quotidian rural life and funerary architecture of the region.
Technique & Style
The work is executed in pen with cross‑hatching, a method that builds tonal variation through intersecting lines. This approach allows the artist to render the texture of stone steps, tree trunks, and thatched coverings with a controlled, linear precision.
History & Provenance
The drawing is a single sheet, likely produced as a field sketch during a visit to Macau. Its dual‑sided content suggests it functioned as a personal record rather than a formal commission, and it has been retained in a collection that documents early visual surveys of the area.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
George Chinnery (Chinese: 錢納利; 5 January 1774 – 30 May 1852) was an English painter who spent most of his life in Asia, especially India and southern China.



















