A study for a portrait of Alexander Grant and his family

The work records a British maritime family residing in Macau during the early nineteenth century. By portraying the captain alongside his spouse and offspring, the sketch emphasizes domestic stability amid the commercial activities of the region.

Executed in pencil, the study demonstrates Chinnery’s quick, gestural line work used to map out figures and their relative positions. The rendering focuses on silhouette and posture rather than detailed rendering, typical of preparatory sketches intended to guide a finished oil portrait.

At the time of the drawing, Captain Grant commanded the opium‑receiving vessel Hercules, which operated from Lintin Island, a key node in the China trade. His professional network included prominent merchants William Jardine and James Matheson, linking the family to the broader opium commerce of the era.

The sketch remains attributed to Chinnery, a leading artist in Canton and Macau, and is catalogued among his works held by the Victoria and Albert Museum, which documents his extensive output documenting expatriate life in China.