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Flower boat (Shagu, boat for prostitutes)
This is a type of pleasure boat in Canton, and the girls in these boats are prostitutes. The name "shagu" (sand lady) could have been derived from the sand boats that ply the rivers. These boats are heavily ornamented and thus referred as "flower boats". In the painting, there are two men, presumably the clients. A woman was sending out one of them while the other waits inside the boat. Such flower boats are usually depicted with green window panels showing patterned openings. Previously described as "flower boat".
Height: 250 mm
Width: 337 mm
Method of acquisition: Given (1909) by Bothamley, Rev. H.
19th Century
Circa
1840
-
Circa
1870
Chinese
Chinese export art
Chinese export watercolour
Watercolour
Bodycolour
White highlights
Ink
Support composed of pith paper
Drawing : Watercolour, bodycolour and ink with heightening in white on pith paper, laid down with with strips of blue silk-covered paper
Accession number: 4170.1
Primary reference Number: 185602
Stable URI
Owner or interested party:
The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department:
Paintings, Drawings and Prints
This record can be cited in the Harvard Bibliographic style using the text below:
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IIIF Manifest
The Fitzwilliam Museum (2025) "Flower boat (Shagu, boat for prostitutes)" Web page available at: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/185602 Accessed: 2025-04-03 14:24:42
To cite this record on Wikipedia you can use this code snippet:
{{cite web|url=https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/185602
|title=Flower boat (Shagu, boat for prostitutes)
|author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2025-04-03 14:24:42|publisher=The
University of Cambridge}}
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https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/api/v1/objects/object-185602
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<figure class="figure">
<img src="https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/pdp/pdp82/large_4170_281_29_201106_amt49_dc2.jpg"
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<figcaption class="figure-caption text-info">Flower boat (Shagu, boat for prostitutes)</figcaption>
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