An unusual Chinese School picture of a 17th century Dutch missionary scene led Christie’s (25/20/12.5% buyer’s premium) £2m sale of topographical pictures in London.
Consigned from an unidentified source, the 3ft 1in x 4ft 2in (95cm x 1.28m) oil on canvas shows the Dutch missionary Robert Junius baptising hundreds of natives in Formosa (present-day Taiwan).
Nick Lambourn, head of department, topographical pictures at Christie’s, described the picture as a “very rare early Formosa (Taiwan) subject… of great historical interest to Taiwan and the Asian region in general, as well as of interest to the Dutch”.