Old Books and Ephemera from Samuel Gedge Rare Books
- by Michael Stillman
18th century Chinese merchant Loum Kiqua.
Item 15 is a print of Chinese merchant Loum Kiqua, who came to England in 1756 (the print is from the following year). It depicts a standing Loum near a large window with what appears to be an idealized Chinese scene in the background, though that must have come from the imagination of the English artist. The copy below the portrait says he came to Portugal in 1755, and survived the great Lisbon earthquake. It also claims he was mistreated by the Portuguese, but welcomed by royalty in England, even being hosted by the King. He was later given passage back home on an East India Company ship, being treated kindly and generously. Perhaps the English were playing up their nice treatment of foreigners vs. that of the Portuguese a bit much. While Loum Kiqua was not the first Chinese visitor to England, he was among the earliest. £2,500 (US $4,190).
