Soaking the Cocoons
1880
paint
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
1880
paint
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
Dominant colour
Soaking the Cocoons is a 1880 paint by Jun Wu, a chinese_orthodox_school work, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.
This painting shows workers handling white cocoons in steaming bowls of water. The artist zooms in on hands and bubbles, not faces or backgrounds. It’s part of an album about silk-making in the 1800s. The album ends up in London at the Victoria and Albert Museum. You can still see the care put into every tiny cocoon. Next time you’re in London, look up the Victoria and Albert Museum.
