Traders: the East India Company & Asia

A renowned shipwright in the Bombay Dockyard, Jamsetjee Bomanjee Wadia built ships for clients including the East India Company. In this portrait, Wadia is shown holding a plan of HMS Minden, which he built for the Royal Navy in 1810. 

This remarkable journal was written by Edward Barlow during the 17th and 18th centuries.

Barlow left home when he was a teenager to serve in the Royal Navy, but later joined the East India Company in search of adventure. While working in Asia, Barlow taught himself to write. His journal describes his time on board an East India Company ship. 

A seated figure rides a roc – a strong, mythical bird – in this figurehead of HMS Seringapatam. The man is thought to depict Tipu Sultan, a leader famed for resisting the advance of British power in India.

Despite thwarting the British military in previous battles, Tipu was shot in 1799 when his city was stormed by British and East India Company troops. HMS Seringapatam was a warship launched at the Bombay Dockyard in 1819. 

In the centre of this painting, a British seaman is questioned by a Chinese official in front of judges. This scene relates to an incident in 1807, which resulted in the death of a Chinese man at the hands of rioting sailors from the East India ship, Neptune.

During the investigation, Chinese officials stopped British trade for two months. This painting depicts the trial inside the Chinese Court of Justice, which saw one sailor charged with accidental homicide. 

This sizeable model is made from painted and gilded wood. During the 17th century, the Dutch East India Company became significantly larger and more successful than its English counterpart.

This item would have hung in a church, above the heads of the congregation. It would have been a powerful reminder of the worshippers’ reliance on God to ensure successful and profitable maritime endeavours. 

In the 16th century, Canton in Southern China was the central location for China’s tea trade with Europe. This painting by an unknown Chinese artist dates from the 1840s and captures the hustle and bustle of ships on the river.

At the time the painting was made, the First Opium War between Britain and China was coming to an end, finishing in 1842. 

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