Picnic on the Riverbank
date: label: Date
content: 18th century
label: Period
content: Qing dynasty
name: label: Artist
content: Probably by Yuan Jiang (ca. 1694-1743)
label: Artist
content: Formerly attributed to Ma Yuan 馬遠 (active late 12th-early 13th century)
notes: label: Label
content: The spurious signature in the lower left corner attributes this painting to the Southern Song master Ma Yuan (late twelfth-early thirteenth century). In fact, on the basis of its composition and landscape details, this painting should be attributed to Yuan Jiang of the eighteenth century. Yuan, a court painter, is known for integrating finely detailed renderings of architecture and figures with monumental landscapes. In this painting, a group of scholar-officials and their servants picnic in a dramatic, atmospheric riverside setting. Their fancifully structured boat waits to ferry them back.
label: Provenance
content: To 1917
label: Provenance
content: John Fenning, New York, to 1917 [1]
label: Provenance
content: From 1917 to 1919
label: Provenance
content: Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from John Fenning in 1917 [2]
label: Provenance
content: From 1920
label: Provenance
content: Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [3]
label: Provenance
content: Notes:
label: Provenance
content: [1] See Original Kakemono and Makimono List, L. 1189, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives.
label: Provenance
content: [2] See note 1.
label: Provenance
content: [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.
label: Collection
content: Freer Gallery of Art Collection
label: Exhibition History
content: Boating on a River (February 12 to August 14, 2005)
label: Exhibition History
content: On the River (April 01, 1995 to January 23, 1996)
label: Exhibition History
content: Yuan Chiang School, Chinese Paintings (April 12, 1963 to October 15, 1963)
label: Previous custodian or owner
content: John Fenning (C.L. Freer source)
label: Previous custodian or owner
content: Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919)
place: label: Origin
content: China
topic: label: Topic
content: landscape
label: Topic
content: pine tree
label: Topic
content: Qing dynasty (1644 - 1911)
label: Topic
content: boat
label: Topic
content: eating
label: Topic
content: celebration
label: Topic
content: temple
label: Topic
content: pagoda
label: Topic
content: China
label: Topic
content: Chinese Art
label: Topic
content: Charles Lang Freer collection
setName: label: Related Online Resources
content: Google Arts & Culture
label: See more items in
content: Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Collection
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of Charles Lang Freer
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
identifier: label: Accession Number
content: F1917.206
objectType: label: Type
content: Painting
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: CC0
physicalDescription: label: Medium
content: Ink and color on silk
label: Dimensions
content: H x W: 104.7 x 101.4 cm (41 1/4 x 39 15/16 in)