George Chinnery met success early as a portraitist, exhibiting his first work in 1791, and winning acclaim in both London and then Dublin, where he moved in 1795. During his time in Dublin, he became R.H.A. In 1802 he sailed to India, and for twenty years painted scenes of Indian life, and portraits of the British expatriate community. In 1825, he moved to Macau. He continued on to Canton, but heard in 1830 that his wife had died; he then returned to Macao and continued his career as a painter there, showing his all-embracing fascination with Oriental life. The present portrait depicts Manuel Pereira, a merchant who lived in the Casa Garden Mansion, Macau.