"Egg Boats off Macao"

A autoria desta pintura intitulada "Egg Boats off Macao" / Tancares ao largo de Macau" é atribuída a William Daniell (1769-1837) que esteve em Macau na última década do século 18. Tem 71 x 95 cm e faz parte do espólio do Leicester Museum & Art Gallery. Ao fundo é a Praia Grande. Do lado direito a fortaleza de S. Francisco e do lado esquerdo a colina e ermida da Penha.

O nome "egg" (ovo) provém do facto do formato da embarcação ser similar a um ovo em corte longitudinal. O nome em português - tancá - explica-se pelo facto de ovo em chinês dizer-se "dàn/tan" e casa diz-se kiá.

O tancá ou tancar é pois uma pequena embarcação de fundo chato (ca. 2,5 metros), sem quilha, tradicionalmente a remo, com toldo arredondado e tripulado por mulheres, as tancareiras que habitualmente usavam chapéus de palha e/ou lenços na cabeça.

Robert Burford definia assim os "egg boats" em 1840:

"The Tân kea, or egg house boats are about eight feet long very broad flat bottomed perfectly straight and wall sided with large gunwhales about a foot out of the water they have a round cover of matting called the house and are frequently lined throughout with clean matting. They are generally straw hats or handkerchiefs on their heads and have their hair in two long plaits down their backs. Most of the Tân kea people live entirely in their boats.

Charles T. Downing em 1838:

Before the anchor was down a little boat came along side to carry me to the shore. It was one of the oddest things of the kind ever seen and more resembled a tub than a boat being about eight feet in length and very nearly as broad flat bottomed with the gunwale about half a foot out of the water and perfectly straight and wall sided. Craft of this kind are named Tânkea or egg house boats because they generally have a round mat cover called a house over them when the name must very well apply. They are kept very clean are lined with matting and are each managed by two Chinese girls."