Inside a Chinese 'Hong'
Painting
ca. 1800 (made)
ca. 1800 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This painting is from a set of 12 depicting the tea industry in China. It shows workers stamping on tea leaves in chests, while a 'hong' merchant negotiates with an European buyer. 'Hong' merchants had the authority of the Chinese government to trade with Europeans. China was the sole supplier of tea to the entire world before about 1750. Artists targeted paintings such this at Europeans eager to find out how tea was grown and processed in China.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Titles |
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| Materials and techniques | Watercolour and ink on paper |
| Brief description | Painting, 'Inside a Chinese hong', watercolour and ink on paper, Guangzhou, China, ca.1800 |
| Physical description | Rectangular watercolour portrait in borwns and greys, a bustling scene is depicted, three central figures each carry a basket through a triangular awning. |
| Dimensions |
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| Styles | |
| 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 workers stamping on tea leaves in chests, whilst a 'hong' merchant negotiates with an European buyer. 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 workers stamping on tea leaves in chests, while a 'hong' merchant negotiates with an European buyer. 'Hong' merchants had the authority of the Chinese government to trade with Europeans. China was the sole supplier of tea to the entire world before about 1750. Artists targeted paintings such this at Europeans eager to find out how tea was grown and processed in China. |
| Associated objects |
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| Bibliographic reference | Souvenir from Canton : Chinese export paintings from the Victoria and Albert Museum, Shanghai, 2003
131 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | D.357-1894 |
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| Record created | November 7, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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