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Baikal Teal

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

This painting of a Baikal teal is an example of a type of picture that was mass-produced in China for European visitors. It was made in Canton (Guangzhou) in southern China. In the 18th century the city became the principal, and later the only, trading port at which Europeans were permitted to buy Chinese goods.

Foreign flora and fauna were of great interest to British botanists in the 18th and 19th centuries, and such enthusiasm gradually filtered down to the general public. Travellers often returned to Britain with paintings depicting numerous species of exotic birds.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleBaikal Teal (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Watercolour and ink on paper
Brief description
Baikal teal; Pap, China, paintings and drawings
Physical description
Foreign flora and fauna was of great interest to British botanists in the 18th and 19th centuries, and such enthusiasm gradually filtered down to the general public. Travellers often returned to Britain with paintings depicting numerous species of exotic birds. This painting of a Baikal teal is one of those mass-produced pictures aimed at European visitors.
Dimensions
  • Height: 25cm
  • Width: 35cm
Style
Object history
Purchased from E. Parsons, accessioned in 1889. This acquisition information reflects that found in the Asia Department registers, as part of a 2022 provenance research project.
Subjects depicted
Summary
This painting of a Baikal teal is an example of a type of picture that was mass-produced in China for European visitors. It was made in Canton (Guangzhou) in southern China. In the 18th century the city became the principal, and later the only, trading port at which Europeans were permitted to buy Chinese goods.

Foreign flora and fauna were of great interest to British botanists in the 18th and 19th centuries, and such enthusiasm gradually filtered down to the general public. Travellers often returned to Britain with paintings depicting numerous species of exotic birds.
Bibliographic reference
Souvenir from Canton : Chinese export paintings from the Victoria and Albert Museum, Shanghai, 2003 267
Collection
Accession number
D.1316-1889

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Record createdDecember 15, 1999
Record URL
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