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Transport of Tea by River

Painting
ca. 1800 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This painting is from a set of 12 depicting the tea industry in China. It shows tea being transported by river. China was the sole supplier of tea to the entire world before about 1750. Artists targeted paintings such as this at Europeans eager to find out how tea was grown and processed in China.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Titles
  • Transport of Tea by River (generic title)
  • 清 佚名 製茶圖:船運 (published title)
Materials and techniques
Watercolour and ink on paper
Brief description
Painting, 'Transport of tea by river', watercolour and ink on paper, Guangzhou, China, c.1800
Physical description
Rectangular watercolour painting in green and blues, a series of figures are seen on boats which carry tins of tea.
Dimensions
  • Height: 40cm
  • Width: 54cm
Style
Credit line
Given by Mrs. L. MacKenzie
Object history
This painting is from a set of 12 depicting the tea industry in China. It shows tea being transported by river. China was the sole supplier of tea to the entire world before the mid 18th century. Paintings such as this were targeted at Europeans eager to find out how tea was grown and processed in China.
Given by Mrs. L. MacKenzie, accessioned in 1894. This acquisition information reflects that found in the Asia Department registers, as part of a 2022 provenance research project.
Subjects depicted
Summary
This painting is from a set of 12 depicting the tea industry in China. It shows tea being transported by river. China was the sole supplier of tea to the entire world before about 1750. Artists targeted paintings such as this at Europeans eager to find out how tea was grown and processed in China.
Associated objects
Bibliographic reference
Souvenir from Canton : Chinese export paintings from the Victoria and Albert Museum, Shanghai, 2003 130
Collection
Accession number
D.355-1894

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Record createdSeptember 18, 2002
Record URL
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