A royal barge at sea
date: label: Date
content: 16th-17th century
label: Period
content: Ming or Qing dynasty
notes: label: Label
content: 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.
label: Provenance
content: To 1915
label: Provenance
content: Tonying and Company, New York to 1915 [1]
label: Provenance
content: From 1915 to 1919
label: Provenance
content: Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Tonying and Company, New York in 1915 [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 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.
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: Previous custodian or owner
content: Tonying and Company 通運公司 (established 1902) (C.L. Freer source)
label: Previous custodian or owner
content: Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919)
place: label: Origin
content: China
topic: label: Topic
content: Ming dynasty (1368 - 1644)
label: Topic
content: water
label: Topic
content: Qing dynasty (1644 - 1911)
label: Topic
content: ocean
label: Topic
content: boat
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: F1915.135.1
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 (image): 23.7 x 31 cm (9 5/16 x 12 3/16 in)