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Guard boat: 4170.2

An image of Drawing
View image details Mirador icon - view image Mirador deep zoom IIIF Manifest IIIF Manifest Slow looking

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Alternative views

An image of Drawing
An image of Drawing
Current Location: In storage

Titles

Guard boat

Maker(s)

Youqua

Entities

Categories

Description

This image depicts a custom guard boat, employed to look out, for prevention of smuggling. This is a fast armed paddle boat for patrolling purposes. At the deck, there are two soldiers, one holding a small canon and the other wearing a hat with red tassels. They seem to be in the middle of catching bandits. There are nine paddles on one side of the boat, indicating that there are at least eighteen paddlers. On the left side of the stern hang two tiger head shields and there are also tridents. The cabin is covered with thick straw to conceal the interior. The Guangdong Gazetteer notes that the paddle boat "can only be used for guard duty and investigation, and cannot be used for ramming purposes". Previously described as "common trading boat".

Measurements and weight

Height: 250 mm
Width: 337 mm

Acquisition and important dates

Method of acquisition: Given (1909) by Bothamley, Rev. H.

Dating

19th Century
Circa 1840 - Circa 1870

School or Style

Chinese
Chinese export watercolour
Chinese export art

Materials used in production

Watercolour
Bodycolour
White highlights
Ink

Components of the work

Support composed of pith paper

Techniques used in production

Drawing : Watercolour, bodycolour and ink with heightening in white on pith paper, laid down with with strips of blue silk-covered paper

Identification numbers

Accession number: 4170.2
Primary reference Number: 185604

Audit data

Created: Friday 7 October 2011 Updated: Thursday 23 January 2025

Associated departments & institutions

Owner or interested party: The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department: Paintings, Drawings and Prints

Citation for print

This record can be cited in the Harvard Bibliographic style using the text below:

The Fitzwilliam Museum (2025) "Guard boat" Web page available at: https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/185604 Accessed: 2025-12-09 04:29:37

Citation for Wikipedia

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{{cite web|url=https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/185604 |title=Guard boat |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2025-12-09 04:29:37|publisher=The University of Cambridge}}

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https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/api/v1/objects/object-185604

Bootstrap HTML code for reuse

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<div class="text-center">
    <figure class="figure">
        <img src="https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/pdp/pdp82/large_4170_282_29_201106_amt49_dc2.jpg"
        alt="Guard boat"
        class="img-fluid" />
        <figcaption class="figure-caption text-info">Guard boat</figcaption>
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