Mid 19th.Century Oil Painting HMS Hyacinth And HMS Volage Engaging Chinese War Junks The Battle Of Chuenpi 1839

19th.Century Oil on panel. HMS Hyacinth and HMS Volage engaging Chinese War Junks, The Battle of Chuenpi. 22.5 by 18.5 cms.

The Battle of Chuenpi (穿鼻之戰) was a naval engagement fought between British and Chinese Ships at the entrance of the Humen strait (Bogue), Guandong province, China, on 3 November 1839 during the First Opium War. The battle began when the British frigates HMS Hyacinth and HMS Volage opened fire on Chinese ships they perceived as being hostile.

The scene depicted here shows the decisive moment of the battle when the Hyacinth and Volage turned to fire their port broadsides into the Chinese fleet forcing the Chinese to sail away in order to avoid further destruction.