A Sieve Maker
1790
paint
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
1790
paint
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
Dominant colour
A Sieve Maker is a 1790 paint by Puqua, a Patna School of Painting work, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.
You see a man hunched over a wooden frame, weaving strands of bamboo into a fine sieve. His hands move with care, tools scattered on the table. Sunlight slants through a paper screen behind him, making the scene feel quiet and still. This painting came from a set of 100 showing daily jobs in Canton. Europeans bought them to learn about Chinese life. The artist’s name, Puqua, appears on many in the set. Look it up next: Puqua
The painting depicts a sieve maker at work, shown as one of a set of 100 images illustrating trades and occupations in Canton. The central figure, dressed in blue, sits surrounded by two open baskets containing materials. Produced in 1790, such works were created to satisfy European curiosity about Chinese society and its labor practices.
Read the full account in the museum source.
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