Tufted Duck
1800
paint
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
1800
paint
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
Tufted Duck is a 1800 paint by Unknown, a Patna School of Painting work, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.
This painting shows a male tufted duck in bright breeding colors. His black head glistens with a white stripe and tuft. The background is plain cream, so the bird stands out. The duck was painted in Canton, China, for European buyers. Merchants sold these pictures to travelers who wanted souvenirs. Most were made between 1780 and 1830. If this bird catches your eye, look up the Victoria and Albert Museum to see more of these Chinese export paintings.
A rectangular watercolor painting with a lined border shows a tufted duck facing forward on a plain background, its mostly white plumage accented with black and brown on the head and a distinctive dark stripe running down its back, accompanied by a small yellow flower on the right side. Produced in Canton (Guangzhou) for European buyers, it reflects the 18th-century trade in Chinese bird paintings sought by travelers and collectors. Acquired from E. Parsons, the work entered the collection in 1889, as recorded in the Asia Department registers following a 2022 provenance research project.
Read the full account in the museum source.
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