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A Bird Seller

Painting
ca. 1790 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This painting is from a set of 100 depicting different trades and occupations in Canton. It shows a bird seller. Artists made these sort of paintings for Europeans eager to find out more about China and her people.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleA Bird Seller (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Watercolour and ink on paper
Brief description
Painting, "A Bird Seller", watercolour and inks on paper, Paqua, Guangzhou, China, ca.1790
Physical description
Rectangular watercolour painting, the central figure in blue uses a pole to carry multiple baskets containing live birds, this painting is from a set of 100 depicting different trades and occupations in Canton.

Dimensions
  • Height: 36cm
  • Width: 46cm
Style
Object history
This painting is from a set of 100 depicting different trades and occupations in Canton. It shows a bird seller. Paintings such as this were made for Europeans eager to find out more about China and her people.
Purchased from Parsons & Sons, accessioned in 1898. This acquisition information reflects that found in the Asia Department registers, as part of a 2022 provenance research project.
Production
Reputedly by Puqua
Subjects depicted
Summary
This painting is from a set of 100 depicting different trades and occupations in Canton. It shows a bird seller. Artists made these sort of paintings for Europeans eager to find out more about China and her people.
Bibliographic reference
Souvenir from Canton : Chinese export paintings from the Victoria and Albert Museum, Shanghai, 2003 no.159
Collection
Accession number
D.103-1898

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Record createdNovember 17, 2003
Record URL
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