Flower Boat Model with Painted Figures

Mounted on a lacqurered base with a mother-of-pearl inlay, this boat was modelled after the " flower " or "pleasure" boats used by wealthy merchants for parties in the waters between Canton and Whampoa. Boats cruising along the Pearl River tended to be highly adorned and painted barges on which many foreign merchants and seamen were amused by Chinese entertainers, as examplified by the Chinese figures in red or green carrying musical instruments.