Duck Boat
Painting
1800-1820 (made), 1800-1820 (made)
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 duck boat. Duck-raising was a very common means of livelihood for the population of the Pearl River delta. The boat was specially designed to function both as the home and transport vessel for the ducks. Paintings such as this one 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 |
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| Materials and techniques | Watercolour and ink on paper |
| Brief description | Painting, 'Duck Boat', watercolours on paper, Guangzhou, China, 1800-1820 |
| Physical description | Painting, rectangular in shape, depicting a boat or ship. The boat has two rectangular panels at the side and a flap that the stern to allow a series of grey ducks into the water. |
| Dimensions |
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| 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 duck boat. Duck-raising was a very common means of livelihood for the population of the Pearl River delta. The boat was specially designed to function both as the home and transport vessel for the ducks. Paintings such as this one 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.208 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 8655:28 |
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| Record created | February 6, 2004 |
| Record URL |
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