This mint block of sixteen stamps originates from the French colonial post office in Canton, issued in 1903 during the heyday of the French Indochina Navigation and Commerce series. The design features allegorical female figures representing trade and agriculture, a hallmark of Louis-Eugène Mouchon’s engraved works, here printed typographically by the Imprimerie Nationale in Paris. The stamps are denominated 4 centimes and printed in violet brown and blue on greyish paper. The defining feature is the overprint "CANTON" in bold black serif letters, with additional Chinese surcharge text indicating local adaptation for Cantonese postal use. The issue served practical postal needs in the foreign concessions, reflecting both the imperial ambitions of France and the semi-autonomous postal arrangements that existed in treaty ports across East Asia. This unmounted mint block (MNH) shows strong centering and uniform gumming, with characteristic tropical patina on the reverse due to age and humidity. Complete multiples from this issue are uncommon, especially in such a well-preserved and intact state. Estimate "$200 – 280"