A Chinese sampan girl

Many of George Chinnery's works are about Chinese sampan girls. Most of his sampan girls have a full and round figure, a sweet smile and a kind and gentle look, as can be seen in this example, which can be regarded as representative of his work in this subject.

The girl in the painting is wearing Tanka clothes and a rattan hat, and is holding a scarf in her hand. Chinnery's signature elements are omnipresent: the quick but sure brushwork, his favourite device of using dashing vermillion in the cheeks and full lips, the use of shadows under the arm and between the fingers, and the graceful pose that turns this girl of the working class into an idealized nymph.