Lord Amherst

In 1816 Baron William Pitt Amherst (1773–1857) led a diplomatic mission to China to negotiate better trading terms for the British East India Company. This grand portrait by Thomas Lawrence, the leading English portraitist of the day, shows Amherst standing before the Canton harbor and the trading warehouses of Britain, the Netherlands, and the United States. The book near his hand is the 1817 publication of the journal of his diplomatic journey.

Amherst’s mission was a failure. He signaled that he would refuse to kowtow (kòu tóu)—the traditional act of reverence before the Chinese emperor, which involved kneeling and bowing low to the ground—unless the Chinese officials would show similar deference to a portrait of the British king. Affronted, Emperor Jiaqing sent Amherst and his embassy home without meeting with them.

Back at home Amherst was admired for his actions, which were seen as upholding British honor. This portrait, in fact, was commissioned to hang in the British East India Company’s office in Canton. The full-length format, imposing column, and Amherst’s determined expression and official ambassadorial robes all express solemn ceremony, resolve, and dignity.