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Men Treading China Clay 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 treading china clay in pits and adding water. Europe could not produce true porcelain before the 18th century. Artists targeted paintings such this at Europeans eager to find out the secrets of porcelain manufacture in China.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Titles
  • Men Treading China Clay in Pits (generic title)
  • 清 佚名 製瓷圖:陶洗 (published title)
Materials and techniques
Watercolours on paper
Brief description
Painting, 'Men Treading Clay in Stone Pits', watercolours on paper, Guangzhou, China, 1770-1790
Physical description
Rectangualr watercolour painting completed in muted tones, two male figures can be seen treading stone in pits, one of twenty-four depicting the various processes of the pottery industry
Dimensions
  • Height: 37.8cm
  • 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 treading china clay in pits and adding water. Europe could not produce true porcelain before the 18th century. Artists targeted paintings such this at Europeans eager to find out the secrets of porcelain manufacture in China.
Associated objects
Bibliographic reference
Souvenir from Canton : Chinese export paintings from the Victoria and Albert Museum, Shanghai, 2003 101
Collection
Accession number
E.39-1910

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Record createdNovember 6, 2003
Record URL
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