Artwork
Applying Fertiliser
Applying Fertiliser is a paint painting by the Romanticist artist Unknown. It dates from 1800 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
About this work
Overview
Applying Fertiliser is one of a dozen paintings documenting the Chinese tea industry.
Subject & Meaning
The painting depicts labourers spreading fertiliser in a field, illustrating a stage in tea production. At the time, China was the world's sole tea supplier, and such images helped Europeans understand the cultivation process.
Context
The set of paintings, including Applying Fertiliser, was created for a European audience interested in Chinese tea production methods.
Technique & Style
The work is a painting, a medium that allowed the artist to convey the scene in detail.
Artist & collection
Domestic Scene
Giacomo and Cardinal Marco, investing Andrea, Abbot of San Zeno, with his Benefice
The Nymph of Fontainebleau
Portrait of a Woman
Madonna and Child with Saints in the Enclosed Garden
Venus and Minerva
Family Group of Four on Sofa
Wall painting from Room H of the Villa of P. Fannius Synistor at Boscoreale
