Painting thumbnail 1
Not currently on display at the V&A

Painting

1800-1830 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This painting is from a set of 24 depicting women playing different kinds of Chinese musical instruments. One woman is playing a stringed instrument called the 'erhu' while the other strikes a 'nanbang', a percussion instrument made of wood. Artists in Canton made such paintings for Europeans eager to find out more about China and her people.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Watercolour and ink on paper
Brief description
Painting, watercolours on paper, Guangzhou, China, 1800-1830
Physical description
Painting, rectangular in shape, depicting figures in the centre. One woman is playing a stringed instrument called the 'erhu' while the other strikes a 'nanbang', a percussion instrument made of wood.
Dimensions
  • Height: 45cm
  • Width: 34cm
Style
Object history
This painting is from a set of 24 depicting women playing different kinds of Chinese musical instruments. Artists in Canton made such paintings for Europeans eager to find out more about China and her people.
Purchased from W. M. J. Weale, accessioned in 1885. This acquisition information reflects that found in the Asia Department registers, as part of a 2022 provenance research project.
Subject depicted
Summary
This painting is from a set of 24 depicting women playing different kinds of Chinese musical instruments. One woman is playing a stringed instrument called the 'erhu' while the other strikes a 'nanbang', a percussion instrument made of wood. Artists in Canton made such paintings for Europeans eager to find out more about China and her people.
Bibliographic reference
Souvenir from Canton : Chinese export paintings from the Victoria and Albert Museum, Shanghai, 2003 279
Collection
Accession number
D.2253-1885

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Record createdJuly 6, 2004
Record URL
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