CC0 · no rights reserved
A royal barge at sea
From the collection of National Museum of Asian Art (Freer/Sackler). Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
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.
National Museum of Asian Art (Freer/Sackler)’s own descriptionSubjects
Credit lineA royal barge at sea. 16th-17th century. National Museum of Asian Art (Freer/Sackler), Gift of Charles Lang Freer. CC0.
