The Late Chung Keng Quee (listed as The Late Cheng Keng Lei)
Created by Benjamin Creswick
Date: 1902
Usually date of exhibition rather than production
Object class: sculpture
Object type: statue
Material: metal - bronze
Technique: cast, modelled
Description: A bronze statue showing Chung Keng Quee (1821-1901), a prominent tin miner and benefactor from Penang, Malaysia, dressed in the robes of a Chinese Mandarin of the Second Rank. This work, or one of the same title but in another state, was shown at the Royal Academy of Arts in 1903. The exhibition catalogue states: 'Cheng Keng Luie; statue. To be executed in bronze for the Engineers' Institute, Penang.' (cat. no. 1725).
Notes: Chung Keng Quee was the first miner to experiment with hydraulic machinery. He worked with Sir Hugh Low to introduce the portable steam pump for draining mines in the protected states in 1878. Chung Keng Quee's mines were used as the test-ground for the new pumps and their success led to their widespread use at Perak, Selangor and Sungei Ujong.
Chung Keng Quee's title, Chinese Mandarin of the Second Rank, was a mark of high distinction and was probably conferred on him by the Qing Dynasty Emperor Guangxu who ruled China from 1875-1908. The house that Chung Keng Quee lived in when he was alive, is now open to the public. The family temple and its contents, is still a family asset and is also open to the public. This is where the statue is situated.
The Engineers' Institute in Penang was opened in 1888 for the recreation and general use of the engineers who formed about thirty percent of the European community. Originally the Institute occupied rooms in Beach Street but later moved to an impressive double-storey building at the junction of Leith Street and Farquhar Street, which was donated by Chung Keng Quee. The building cost about $30,000 to construct and was nearing completion when he died on 12 December 1901. A grand ball was held in 1902 to mark the formal opening. It is assumed that the Engineers' Institute commissioned the commemorative statue of Chung Keng Quee from Benjamin Creswick because of the generous donation of new premises.
This entry includes information submitted by Mr. C.V. Chung and Jeffery Seow. There are detailed entries for Chung Keng Quee and the Engineers' Institute on Wikipedia (accessed 5 September 2012).
Exhibitions and other Events
Exhibited at The Seventy-Sixth Autumn Exhibition at the Rooms of the Society, New Street (Royal Birmingham Society of Artists), 1902
1902
Citing this record
'The Late Chung Keng Quee (listed as The Late Cheng Keng Lei)', Mapping the Practice and Profession of Sculpture in Britain and Ireland 1851-1951, University of Glasgow History of Art and HATII, online database 2011 [http://sculpture.gla.ac.uk/view/object.php?id=msib4_1203077132, accessed 22 Sep 2023]
