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- 32 Plaque
Qing dynasty; mid 18th century
h. 42.2 cm, w. 48.8 cm; Given
Anonymously in Memory of
Sir James Howard Thornton
AGGV 77.161
This plaque displays the Dragon Boat Fes-
tival, which is popularly believed to have
been instituted in memory of a statesman
named Qu Yuan, who after being unjustly
slandered, committed suicide in 295 B.C.
as a protest against the corrupt govern-
ment. A festival is held on the fifth day of
the fifth month by people who want to
commemorate him. Long narrow boats,
decorated as dragons, race up and down
the river with much clamour, as if search-
ing for someone who has drowned. This
beautiful scene is rendered in the Tang
style, using the popular blue and green
painting convention.
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