Provenance

Dr. Catherine Lilly Bacon

American, born 1899

Explore selected works

This painting shows a waterfront viewed from high above. In the background, light blue hills obscure the horizon line. In front of these hills, a stone bridge arches across the water, connecting two sides of a river. Another bridge crosses the river on the right side of the painting. At the bottom of the painting, an ornate procession with lanterns and banners in the shape of large fish takes place close by. Both adults and children are involved in the procession, and the line of people snakes back across the bridge at the right, across the stone bridge, and into the distant hills. On the opposite shore are small buildings with red-tiled roofs, and a tower stands prominently in the background. The procession ends in a large building in the bottom left corner of the image, framed by tall trees. The color palette features warm earth tones with shades of ochre and rust, contrasted by the soft greens of the trees and the blues and grays of the water.
Chinese Qing Dynasty, Procession by a Lake, 19th century, oil on fabric, Gift of Dr. Catherine Lilly Bacon, 1969.12.2

Procession by a Lake

Chinese Qing Dynasty · 19th century · oil on fabric ·  Accession ID  1969.12.2

The painting features a busy scene with various activities taking place outdoors under a wide, open sky. Closest to us, on the right, there are people in long blue and gray garments standing next to several horses tied to a fence near a tall brown tree. In the center, a group of people are participating in an archery demonstration or competition, with targets set up on the left side. A group of people holding bows and arrows watch a person in the center wearing a long red outfit aim a bow at the target. The area is filled with numerous people, some walking, others watching. To the right, behind the fence with the horses, is an ornate building with gray walls and a black roof where another group of people is seated under a carved wooden canopy. At the center of this group is a person in long orange robes who sits facing the archery contest. A person in blue on the left kneels down towards this seated person. All the people in the painting have light skin and dark hair in long braids down their back, and they wear red hats. In the distance are several white tents flying flags of different colors. Behind them, the landscape is full of green and rusty-orange trees, with green and tan hills rising up below a wide blue sky full of white-and-gray clouds.
Chinese Qing Dynasty, Archery Contest, 19th century, oil on cotton, Gift of Dr. Catherine Lilly Bacon, 1969.12.1

Archery Contest

Chinese Qing Dynasty · 19th century · oil on cotton ·  Accession ID  1969.12.1