early 19th century · Lacquer and painted wood
Tray with the Canton factories
Unknown Chinese maker
Why it matters
The view compresses foreign commerce into the narrow waterfront where British, American, and Dutch factories flew their flags. It records real spatial restriction, but its boats, buildings, and export format also reveal an active commercial system rather than a sealed border.
- Publication
- Export lacquer made for a Western market
- Holding institution
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Shelfmark
- 41.44
Unknown Chinese maker. Tray with the Canton factories, early 19th century. Lacquer and painted wood. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 41.44.
