A Shoe Mender
1790
paint
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
1790
paint
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
Dominant colour
A Shoe Mender is a 1790 paint by Puqua, a Patna School of Painting work, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.
Puqua shows a man squatting on the floor outside, mending a shoe. He wears loose robes and a small hat. A wooden box holds his tools. A lantern hangs from a hook. Cantonese artists in the 1700s painted 100 scenes of local trades. Europeans bought them for a look at daily life in China. Puqua’s work is one of the few left. If you like this kind of scene, check out paintings of Dutch interiors.
A rectangular watercolour painting depicts a shoe mender seated in the center, dressed in black and red attire with a black hat, positioned between two baskets, one of which has a lid. Part of a set of 100 works illustrating various trades and occupations in Canton, this painting was created for European audiences interested in Chinese society. Acquired from Parsons & Sons, it was accessioned in 1898 as part of the museum's holdings.
Read the full account in the museum source.
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