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Chin Sung

Chin Sung
Artist
Auguste Edouart, 1788 - 1861
Sitter
Chin Sung, active c.1841
Date
1841
Type
Silhouette
Medium
Lithograph and cut paper on paper
Dimensions
Image/Sheet: 27.6 × 20.8 cm (10 7/8 × 8 3/16")
Frame: 47.9 × 37.8 × 3.2 cm (18 7/8 × 14 7/8 × 1 1/4")
Topic
Costume\Headgear\Hat
Silhouette\Cut-out
Interior\Interior with Exterior View
Home Furnishings\Furniture\Table
Artwork\Painting
Architecture\Window
Chin Sung: Male
Portrait
Place
United States\District of Columbia\Washington
Credit Line
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of Robert L. McNeil, Jr.
Restrictions & Rights
CC0
Object number
S/NPG.91.126.79.A
Exhibition Label
This silhouette offers insight into America’s many international diplomatic missions and its position on the global stage. Chin Sung came to the United States in 1841 with a missionary, the Reverend Peter Parker, MD, and stayed for a year. Parker expanded his knowledge of Chinese through his relationship with Chin, while Chin developed his comprehension of English at a Massachusetts school.
Auguste Edouart took great pains to distinguish Chin from his other subjects, capturing Chin’s clothing and headgear as well as his unusually long braid. Chin points to the characters at the upper left, which note that he was from Peking but also lived in Canton and Macao. The other characters mention his conversational ability with friends, that he looks at the moon, and that he is reciting a poem. Edouart was not the only artist who portrayed Chin in this pose, suggesting that Chin exercised some agency in determining how he was depicted.
Esta silueta remite a las numerosas misiones diplomáticas internacionales de Estados Unidos y su posición en el panorama mundial. Chin Sung llegó al país en 1841 con un misionero, el reverendo Peter Parker, MD, y permaneció aquí un año. Gracias a su relación con Chin, Parker mejoró sus conocimientos de la lengua china, mientras que Chin aprendió nociones de inglés en una escuela de Massachusetts.
Auguste Edouart hizo un esfuerzo especial por distinguir a Chin de sus demás modelos, captando su ropa, su sombrero y su larguísima trenza. Chin aparece apuntando a unos caracteres situados arriba a la izquierda, los cuales indican que era natural de Pekín pero que también vivió en Cantón y Macao. Los demás caracteres mencionan sus destrezas de conversación con los amigos, que suele observar la luna y que está recitando un poema. Edouart no fue el único que retrató a Chin en esta pose, lo cual supone que éste tenía injerencia en la manera en que se le representaba.
Data Source
National Portrait Gallery
Location
Currently not on view