Not currently on display at the V&A

Breaking China Stone With Water-Powered Trip Hammers

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 breaking china stone with water-powered trip hammers. 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
  • Breaking China Stone With Water-Powered Trip Hammers (generic title)
  • 清 佚名 製瓷圖:粉碎石料 (published title)
Materials and techniques
Watercolours on paper
Brief description
Painting, 'Breaking China Stone With Water-Powered Trip Hammers', watercolours on paper, Guangzhou, China, 1770-1790
Physical description
Rectangular watercolour painting completed in muted tones, a watermill on the right-hand side powers a series of hammers to break the stone brought by the three featured figures, one of twenty-four depicting the various processes of the pottery industry
Dimensions
  • Height: 38cm
  • Width: 59.3cm
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 depicting the various processes of the pottery industry
Subjects depicted
Summary
This painting is from a set of 24 depicting the porcelain industry in China. It shows men breaking china stone with water-powered trip hammers. 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 99
Collection
Accession number
E.42-1910

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Record createdNovember 6, 2003
Record URL
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