The Picture from Thibet

c. 1920

Emil Carlsen

Associated Names
Emil Carlsen

Painter, American, 1853 - 1932

This painting shows a large, cream-colored vase and a small white statue of a robed figure placed on a gray surface. Behind these objects is a wall mural depicting religious and mythological figures amidst clouds in a faded array of blues, reds, and browns. Details of the mural are hard to discern, as the colors are light against the tan wall. The cream vase is positioned slightly to the right of center, while the statue stands directly in front of it, towards the bottom of the painting. To the left is a small glass bowl.

Media Options

This object’s media is free and in the public domain. Read our full Open Access policy for images.
Not on view See artworks now on view

Artwork overview

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Purchased 1926 by James Parmelee [1855-1931], Washington;[1] by inheritance 1931 to his widow, Alice Maury Parmelee [1866-1940], Washington; bequest 1941 to the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington; acquired 2014 by the National Gallery of Art.
[1] In James Parmelee's will (dated 11 October 1926), this painting is described: "a painting by Emil Carlsen, entitled "The Picture from Thibet," acquired by me in the Spring of 1926."

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1921

  • Recent Paintings by Emil Carlsen, N.A., Macbeth Gallery, New York, 9-28 February 1921, no. 4.

1922

  • One Hundred and Seventeenth Annual Exhibition, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, 5 February - 26 March 1922, no. 367.

  • Seventeenth Annual Exhibition of Paintings by American Artists, City Art Museum, Saint Louis, 15 September - 25 October 1922, no. 20.

1923

  • Special Exhibition of Paintings by Emil Carlsen, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Wasingotn, 3-29 April 1923, no. 51.

  • An Exhibition of Paintings by Emil Carlsen, Department of Fine Arts, Carmege Institute, Pittsburgh, 25 June - 4 September 1923, no. 51.

  • Winter Exhibition, National Academy of Design, New York, 17 November - 16 December 1923, no. 380.

1926

  • The Tenth Exhibition of Contemporary American Oil Paintings, Corcoran Gallery of Art, 4 April - 16 May 1926, no. 84.

1950

  • Norfolk Museum of Arts and Sciences, 1950, no catalogue.

1981

  • Extended loan for use by Vice President and Mrs. George H.W. Bush, Vice President's House, Washington, 1981-1989.

1998

  • The Forty-Fifth Biennial: The Corcoran Collects, 1907–1998, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, 17 July - 29 September 1998, unnumbered catalogue.

2005

  • Encouraging American Genius: Master Paintings from the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; Parrish Art Museum, Southampton, NY; Mint Museum of Art, Charlotte; John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, Sarasota, 2005-2007, checklist no. 78.

2008

  • The American Evolution: A History through Art, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, 2008, unpublished checklist.

2018

  • Emil Carlsen's Quiet Harmonies, Yellowstone Art Museum, Billings; Huntington Museum of Art, West Virginia; Lyman Allyn Art Museum, New London; Nordic Heritage Museum, Seattle, 2018-2019, pl. 19 (shown only in Billings, Huntington, and New London).

Bibliography

1973

  • Phillips, Dorothy W. A Catalogue of the Collection of American Paintings in the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Vol. 2: Painters born from 1850 to 1910. Washington, 1973: 16.

2011

  • McLean, Randall. "Emil Carlsen, The Picture from Thibet." In Corcoran Gallery of Art: American Paintings to 1945. Edited by Sarah Cash. Washington, 2011: 224-255, 280, repro.

Wikidata ID

Q46633935

You may be interested in

Loading Results