Dragon Boat
Painting
1800-1820 (made)
1800-1820 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This painting is from a set of 50 depicting the different types of boats that cluttered the Pearl River. It shows a dragon boat, perhaps preparing for a race. Dragon-boat racing was a festive and very significant event held during the summer. Paintings such as this were mass-produced as souvenir items.
Lord George Macartney (1737-1806) was the first British ambassador to China. His description of the setting reads: 'the river of Canton is covered with boats and vessels of various sorts and sizes, all, even the very smallest, constantly and thickly inhabited'.
Lord George Macartney (1737-1806) was the first British ambassador to China. His description of the setting reads: 'the river of Canton is covered with boats and vessels of various sorts and sizes, all, even the very smallest, constantly and thickly inhabited'.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Titles |
|
| Materials and techniques | Watercolour and ink on paper |
| Brief description | Painting, 'Dragon boat', watercolours on paper, Guangzhou, China, 1800-1820 |
| Physical description | Painting, rectangular in shape, depicting a boat or ship in muted tones. The ship is long and flat, the stern and bow decorated to make the ship look like a dragon. A line of men in blue sit along the body with oars. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Style | |
| Object history | Once part of a folio containing 50 sheets depicting various boats and ships. These pages, now separated, are numbered 8655:1to51, with 8655:51 being a list of images originally inserted into the album. Lord George Macartney (1737-1806), the first British ambassador to China, described that 'the river of Canton is covered with boats and vessels of various sorts and sizes, all, even the very smallest, constantly and thickly inhabited'. This painting is from a set of 50 depicting the different types of boats that cluttered the Pearl River. It shows a ferry operating at night. Paintings such as this were mass-produced as souvenir items. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | This painting is from a set of 50 depicting the different types of boats that cluttered the Pearl River. It shows a dragon boat, perhaps preparing for a race. Dragon-boat racing was a festive and very significant event held during the summer. Paintings such as this were mass-produced as souvenir items. Lord George Macartney (1737-1806) was the first British ambassador to China. His description of the setting reads: 'the river of Canton is covered with boats and vessels of various sorts and sizes, all, even the very smallest, constantly and thickly inhabited'. |
| Bibliographic reference | Souvenir from Canton : Chinese export paintings from the Victoria and Albert Museum, Shanghai, 2003
no.212 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 8655:7 |
About this object record
Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
| Record created | February 6, 2004 |
| Record URL |
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest
