A royal barge at sea

Object Details

• Label

  Judging from their features, the people on the barge in this painting are probably non-Chinese. Their stout bodies, dark skin, moon-shaped faces, and shaved heads with braids indicate that they may be Jurchen, a nomadic tribe of the Jin dynasty (1115-1234) from Manchuria. The king, who appears disproportionately larger than the other figures, sits on the top level of his royal barge, attended by his concubines. His men are scattered about the barge, seemingly struggling to navigate the turbulent waters of Bohai Wan, a gulf of the Yellow Sea.

• Provenance

  To 1915

  Tonying and Company, New York to 1915 [1]

  From 1915 to 1919

  Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Tonying and Company, New York in 1915 [2]

  From 1920

  Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [3]

  Notes:

  [1] See Original Album List, pg. 49, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives. By at least 1917, Tonying and Company maintained business locations in Shanghai, Beijing, Paris, London, and New York, NY. This object exhibits seals, colophons, or inscriptions that could provide additional information regarding the object’s history; see Curatorial Remarks in the object record for further details.

  [2] See note 1.

  [3] The original deed of Charles Lang Freer's gift was signed in 1906. The collection was received in 1920 upon the completion of the Freer Gallery.

• Collection

  Freer Gallery of Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  Boating on a River (February 12 to August 14, 2005)

• Previous custodian or owner

  Tonying and Company 通運公司 (established 1902) (C.L. Freer source)

  Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919)

• Origin

  China

• Credit Line

  Gift of Charles Lang Freer

• Type

  Painting

• Restrictions and Rights

  CC0 - Creative Commons (CC0 1.0)

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1700s, 1550s

• Name

  Freer, Charles Lang, Tonying and Company

• Place

  China

• Topic

  Water, Charles Lang Freer collection, Boats and boating, Art, Chinese Art, Qing dynasty (1644 - 1911), Ocean, Ming dynasty (1368 - 1644)

• Culture

  Chinese

• Object Type

  Paintings