Not currently on display at the V&A

Oxen Treading China Stone in Pits

Painting
1770-1790 (made), 1770-1790 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This painting is from a set of 24 depicting the porcelain industry in China. It shows men using oxen to tread on china stone, one of the two major ingredients for porcelain. The other ingredient was china clay. Europe could not produce true porcelain before the 18th century. Artists targeted paintings such as this at Europeans eager to find out the secrets of porcelain manufacture in China.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Titles
  • Oxen Treading China Stone in Pits (generic title)
  • 清 佚名 製瓷圖:製漿 (published title)
Materials and techniques
Watercolours on paper
Brief description
Painting, 'Oxen Treading China Stone in Pits', watercolours on paper, Guangzhou, China, 1770-1790
Physical description
Rectangular watercolour painting completed in muted tones, two oxen are present treading stone in pits pn the bank of a river, one of twenty-four depicting the various processes of the pottery industry
Dimensions
  • Height: 38cm
  • Width: 58.6cm
Style
Object history
Purchased from Gordon M. Forsyth, accessioned in 1910. This acquisition information reflects that found in the Asia Department registers, as part of a 2022 provenance research project, one of twenty-four.
Subjects depicted
Summary
This painting is from a set of 24 depicting the porcelain industry in China. It shows men using oxen to tread on china stone, one of the two major ingredients for porcelain. The other ingredient was china clay. Europe could not produce true porcelain before the 18th century. Artists targeted paintings such as this at Europeans eager to find out the secrets of porcelain manufacture in China.
Associated objects
Collection
Accession number
E.38-1910

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Record createdSeptember 26, 2002
Record URL
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