a view of the Canton waterfront
1781
paint
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
1781
paint
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
Dominant colour
a view of the Canton waterfront is a 1781 paint by Unknown, a Rococo painting work, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.
You see a waterfront scene with buildings and ships. The flags of different countries are visible, showing the foreign trade settlements. This painting seems to be a record of the time and place, without exaggeration or embellishment. The artist included details like the flags to show the international trade happening there. Check out the Victoria and Albert Museum to see more paintings like this one.
A rectangular watercolour depicts the Canton waterfront during the foreign trade settlements of the 1770s, rendered in a detached, topographical style. The flags of five nations appear from right to left—Dutch, British, Swedish, Imperial (Holy Roman Empire), and French—without emphasis on exoticism. The work appears to function as a straightforward visual record of the period and location. It was accessioned in 1887 after entering the collection through an unrecorded source.
Read the full account in the museum source.
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