The painting shows a scene in the lives of working class Chinese immigrants, living under the legacy of Dutch separatist policies in Indonesia. Captured are common export trade objects of the period. A distinctive Yixing clay teapot and blue and white Chinese tea cups. An opium pipe highlights the prolific trade and prevalent use of opium throughout the region.In the background, is an altar table covered with a Tok Wi (Hokkien term for an altar frontal). made of an auspicious red silk and embroidered, it is decorated with a central dragon motif. The upper panel depicts the Eight Immortals - the semi-divine figures who have attained the Daoist ideal of immortality.This painting is executived in a social realist style. Agerbeek was born in Bandung, Indonesia and died in Java during the Japanese War.
