Not currently on display at the V&A

Painting

1800-1830 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This painting is from a set of 24 depicting women playing different kinds of Chinese musical instruments. It shows a woman playing a trumpet, while her maid waits on her holding a long pipe. Artists in Canton (Guangzhou), in southern China, made such paintings for Europeans eager to find out more about China and its people. From the 18th century Canton was the principal – and later the only – trading port at which Europeans were permitted to buy Chinese goods.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Watercolour and ink on paper
Brief description
Painting, watercolours on paper, Guangzhou, China, 1800-1830
Physical description
Painting, rectangular in shape, depicting figures in the centre. It shows a woman playing a trumpet, while her maid waits on her holding a long pipe.
Dimensions
  • Height: 45cm
  • Width: 34cm
Style
Object history
This painting is from a set of 24 depicting women playing different kinds of Chinese musical instruments. Artists in Canton made such paintings for Europeans eager to find out more about China and her people.
Purchased from W. M. J. Weale, accessioned in 1885. This acquisition information reflects that found in the Asia Department registers, as part of a 2022 provenance research project.
Subject depicted
Summary
This painting is from a set of 24 depicting women playing different kinds of Chinese musical instruments. It shows a woman playing a trumpet, while her maid waits on her holding a long pipe. Artists in Canton (Guangzhou), in southern China, made such paintings for Europeans eager to find out more about China and its people. From the 18th century Canton was the principal – and later the only – trading port at which Europeans were permitted to buy Chinese goods.
Bibliographic reference
Souvenir from Canton : Chinese export paintings from the Victoria and Albert Museum, Shanghai, 2003
Collection
Accession number
D.2234-1885

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Record createdMay 19, 2004
Record URL
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