Cross-Water Ferry
1810
paint
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
1810
paint
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
Cross-Water Ferry is a 1810 paint by Unknown, a Romanticism work, depicting Water Transport, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.
The painting shows a cross-water ferry on the Pearl River. It's one of many boats in the scene. This ferry was a common way to cross the river, and paintings like this were made to sell to travelers. The Pearl River was very busy with all kinds of boats. Lord George Macartney wrote about the many vessels on the river. He noted that even small boats were always moving. You can learn more about this style by looking at the technique of chiaroscuro.
The painting depicts a cross-water ferry on the Pearl River, with figures at each end operating oars and a barrel positioned near the right side; passengers in colorful attire occupy the center. Part of a set of 50 images, it was mass-produced as a souvenir item. The work was once bound in a folio containing numbered pages, with a list of images included as the final sheet. Lord George Macartney’s description of the Pearl River notes its dense and varied boat traffic.
Read the full account in the museum source.
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