This painting depicts a view of the house and grounds of landowner David Brown in Penang. Brown was a relative of James Scott, who with Francis Light founded the British colony on the island. This particular view was based on William Daniell’s aquatint of 1821, in turn modeled after the work of Captain Robert Smith of the Bengal Engineers who was a close friend of Brown’s.The painting was executed by a Chinese artist working in the European manner. The style originally developed in Canton in the late 18th century, following demand among European traders for souvenirs from China.
