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Chitqua (Tan-Che-Qua)

(circa 1728-1796), Chinese artist

Sitter in 4 portraits
Chitqua was a sculptor whose life-like portraits in clay attracted the attention of European merchants in the Chinese port of Canton (Guangzhou). He came to England in 1769, settling in London, where he charged ten guineas for a bust and fifteen for a whole-length figure. He was received as a foreign dignitary, attending an audience with King George III and a dinner at the Royal Academy, where he exhibited a clay figure in 1770. James Boswell called him an 'an ingenious artist in taking likenesses in terracotta'. He sat for portrait artists, including John Hamilton Mortimer, and featured in Johann Zoffany's group portrait of the founder members of the Royal Academy. Little is known about his life following his return to China in 1772.

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The Academicians of the Royal Academy, by John Sanders, after Johan Joseph Zoffany - NPG 1437

The Academicians of the Royal Academy

by John Sanders, after Johan Joseph Zoffany
watercolour and ink, 1773, based on a work of 1772
NPG 1437

Key to 'The Academicians of the Royal Academy', by John Sanders, after Johan Joseph Zoffany - NPG 1437a

Key to 'The Academicians of the Royal Academy'

by John Sanders, after Johan Joseph Zoffany
pencil, circa 1773
NPG 1437a

The Academicians of the Royal Academy, by Richard Earlom, after Johan Joseph Zoffany - NPG D21304

The Academicians of the Royal Academy

by Richard Earlom, after Johan Joseph Zoffany
mezzotint, published 1773
NPG D21304

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Chitqua (Tan-Che-Qua)

attributed to John Hamilton Mortimer
oil on canvas, 1770-1771
On display in Room 12 at the National Portrait Gallery
NPG L261

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