Chop Boat (Water Melon Boat)
Can I see it?
Not on view at present
Where is “Chop Boat (Water Melon Boat)” now? Collection: Victoria and Albert Museum, London. Not on view at present. Checked September 25, 2026.
London, United Kingdom
It belongs to the collection, but is not on display at present.
- Checked
- In this state since
- Source
- The museum
About the painting
This painting is from a set of 50 depicting the different types of boats that cluttered the Pearl River. It shows a ‘chop’ boat. (A 'chop' is the official stamp indicating that cargo had been cleared by customs.) The boat has circular decks and sides and resembles a melon - the Chinese called it a 'water-melon boat'. Paintings such as this were mass-produced as souvenir items.
Lord George Macartney (1737-1806) was the first British ambassador to China. His description of the setting reads: 'the river of Canton is covered with boats and vessels of various sorts and sizes, all, even the very smallest, constantly and thickly inhabited'.
Victoria and Albert Museum
Details
- Accession number
- 8655:4
What it shows
In the catalog
Sources
- Victoria and Albert Museum
- Image: Victoria and Albert Museum — © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
