Archery Contest, 19th century

Not on View

Medium

oil on cotton

Dimensions

overall: 77.8 x 110.8 cm (30 5/8 x 43 5/8 in.)

framed: 94 x 128.6 x 5.1 cm (37 x 50 5/8 x 2 in.)

Credit Line

Gift of Dr. Catherine Lilly Bacon

Accession Number

1969.12.1

Artists / Makers

Chinese Qing Dynasty (artist)

Image Use

This image is in the public domain.
Read our full Open Access policy for images .

Provenance

Dr. Catherine L. Bacon, Woods Hole, Massachusetts; gift 1969 to NGA.

Associated Names

Bacon, Catherine Lilly, Dr.

Exhibition History

1970: Extended loan for use by Blair House, Washington, D.C., 1970-1985.

1972: Extended loan for use in Chief Justice Rehnquist's chambers, 1986-1997.

1986: Extended loan for use by The Supreme Court of the United States, Washington, D.C., 1986-1997.

1999: Extended loan for use by Charlene Barshefsky, U.S. Trade Representative, Washington, D.C., 1999-2001.

Technical Summary

The primary support is a closely woven, medium-weight cotton, which has been lined to canvas. The thin white ground containing lead white is estimated to be oil. The oil paint layer is applied in thin-to-medium overlying opaque layers, with low impasto in the details and highlights. The painting is structurally sound, although there are numerous spiral and linear cracks, as is characteristic of Chinese export oil paintings. Some areas of inpainting have discolored, as has the natural resin varnish.

Bibliography

1998: Bower, Virginia, Josephine Hadley Knapp, Stephen Little, and Robert Wilson Torchia. Decorative Arts, Part II: Far Eastern Ceramics and Paintings; Persian and Indian Rugs and Carpets. The Collections of the National Gallery of Art Systematic Catalogue. Washington, D.C., 1998: 284-285, color repro.