Artwork
Inside a Chinese 'Hong'
Inside a Chinese 'Hong' is a paint painting by the Patna School of Painting artist Unknown. It dates from 1800 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum. This painting is one of a series of twelve depicting the Chinese tea industry, created to inform European audiences about tea production.
About this work
Overview
This painting is one of a series of twelve depicting the Chinese tea industry, created to inform European audiences about tea production.
Subject & Meaning
The scene shows workers compressing tea leaves in large chests while a 'hong' merchant, authorized by the Chinese government to trade with Europeans, negotiates with a European buyer, highlighting the China-Europe tea trade.
Technique & Style
The painting employs sfumato, a technique that blends colors to create a soft, hazy effect, to render the scene.
Context
At the time, China was the world's sole tea supplier, making the trade with Europe significant, and 'hong' merchants played a crucial role in this exchange.
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
Rolling and Sieving
Firing Tea
Pounding Tea Leaves and Forming Tea Cakes
Packing Tea Into Pewter Tins With Straw Wrapping
Drying Tea Leaves
Applying Fertiliser
Transport of Tea by River
Potters Painting in Enamel Colours
Sowing Seeds
Making Vases
Hoeing the Ground
Wrapping Porcelain in Rice Straw and Packing in Wooden Tubs