Page 302 - Decorative Arts, Part II: Far Eastern Ceramics and Paintings, Persian and Indian Rugs and Carpets

1969.12.2 (2364)

Procession by a Lake

Qing dynasty, nineteenth century
Oil on fabric, 76.2 x 111.8 (30 x 44)
Gift of Dr. Catherine Lilly Bacon
TECHNICAL NOTES
The support is a fine-weight, plain-weave cotton or linen that an unusual manner and should most likely be read as
has been lined, and the original tacking margins removed. A zhou with the water radical, thus meaning "fish pond."
smooth white ground is applied overall. The paint, probably oil, The inscription should then be translated "fish pond in
is applied in a thin, translucent glaze. There is some raised paint spring," a two-character expression known in Chinese
texture in the clouds and details of the figures. poetry. The placard may indicate that the entire paint-
2
The paint is slightly abraded and the varnish slightly discol- ing represents a celebration of the spring festival.
ored, but there are no major damages or losses. A few small A second, smaller version of this scene has been iden-
damages in the sky have been inpainted. 3
tified as A Lantern Festival Procession. The procession of
PROVENANCE the Lantern Festival was held on the fifteenth day of the
Dr. Catherine Lilly Bacon, Woods Hole, Massachusetts. lunar New Year and celebrated the economic success of
merchants in the year just passed.
IGURES CARRYING PLATFORMS with sculpture and a Cantonese artists working for the export market often
Fplacard on a pole proceed around a lake filled with operated in studio settings; the names of only a few are
several large fish. Interspersed among these figures are known. The identity of the artist who painted these two
musicians playing cymbals, horns, gongs, and drums. views is not known, although his work bears compari-
This imaginary setting is a composite of standard son, in style and subject matter, to that of Youqua (active
export views of gardens, lakes, towns, and various genre i840-i87o). 4
scenes. The style of handling trees, the low horizon line, ws
and the use of one-point perspective on the buildings at
the left are derived from Western print sources, from
which the artist may also have borrowed the tower rising NOTES
from the village. Such towers are commonly found on 1. Translations by Stephen Little.
Chinese export porcelain of the eighteenth century.
The two Chinese characters inscribed on the large 2. See Zhongwen da cidian 1973, 4: no. 1416.128.
placard carried by figures at the lower left read chun zhao 3. Pearl River 1981, repro. 41, no. 26; 49 x 64 (19 V4 x 25 V4).
(spring summons). 1 The second character is written in 4. See Grossman 1972, 86.

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