Rice-Selling Barge
1810
paint
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
1810
paint
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
Dominant colour
Rice-Selling Barge is a 1810 paint by Unknown, a Romanticism work, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.
This painting shows a crowded barge on a busy river, selling rice. The boat is packed with sacks. The artist painted it as part of a set showing Pearl River boats. Made around 1800, these paintings were cheap souvenirs for tourists. They show daily life in Canton before China closed its doors. The barge’s crew worked hard, balancing trade and travel. Next time you’re in London, check out the Victoria and Albert Museum.
This rectangular painting depicts a rice-selling barge on the Pearl River near Canton, featuring a semi-circular cabin enclosing the vessel and parcels of rice visible at the bow. A tall triangular mast rises from the center of the boat, which was part of a set of 50 mass-produced images of local watercraft. Originally included in an album, this sheet is numbered 8655:51, with the series cataloged under 8655:1 to 51. The scene aligns with Lord George Macartney’s 18th-century observation of the densely populated river traffic in Canton.
Read the full account in the museum source.
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