Painting

This painting is from a set of 11 depicting women playing different kinds of Chinese musical instruments. A woman is playing the gong, while a young boy is about to light a firecracker. Artists in Canton (Guangzhou), in southern China, made such paintings for Europeans eager to find out more about China and its people. From the 18th century Canton was the principal – and later the only – trading port at which Europeans were permitted to buy Chinese goods.