Beggar with a Snake
Pu-Qua
Basic information
- ID
- Г-IV-5531/12
- Author
- Pu-Qua
- Name
- Beggar with a Snake
- Date of creation
- late 17th – early 18th c.
- Country
- China
- Culture
- Far East
- Technique
- etching watercolor embossing
- Material
- Indian ink paper
- Dimensions (height x width, cm)
- 29.3 x 24.4
Additionally
- Type
- album sheet
- Genre
- genre art
- Provenance
- Purchased from a private individual
- Exposition
- Zolochiv Castle (Chinese Palace)
Information about author
Object description
A man with a semi-naked torso, wearing a short dirty-blue robe and knee-length pants. On the top of his head is a kippah-like hat with a bundle of red-pink tow, and on the back of his head is a braid with a red flower. On the right side of the man hangs an elliptical-shaped basket with a lid, and on his neck, forming a ring hangs a snake, which the man holds by the head with his right hand. In his left hand is a long bamboo stick. The snake and the stick are symbols of beggars in China. The etching comes from the album "Customs and National Costumes of the Chinese," which includes 60 images of Chinese people engaged in various activities. Each image is accompanied by an explanation in German and some in French. In the 18th century, artists in Canton (Guangzhou) in southern China created these paintings for Europeans eager to learn more about China and its people.
Inscriptions
In the lower left corner there is a calligraphic inscription: "Pu-Qua.Canton. Delin." made in Indian ink. In the lower right corner there is an inscription: "Dadley.London.Sculpt". In the top right corner – number "12".
