
May one see it?
London, United Kingdom
It belongs to the collection, but is not on display at present.
This painting is from a set of 50 depicting the different types of boats that cluttered the Pearl River. It shows the Dongguan cargo boat plying between the village and Canton along the East River. 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'.
Victoria and Albert Museum