Date of Award

Spring 2023

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Major

Art History, Chemistry

First Advisor

Alden Gordon

Second Advisor

Henry DePhillips

Abstract

The Chinese Fresco Painting (accession #1951.230) at the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art is a problematic work. The museum registration document showed that this wall painting is thought to have been painted during the Ming dynasty, ruling from 1368 to 1644. It may depict the Goddess of Sons and Grandsons, Zisun Niangniang. However, this is unprovenanced and unresearched. In this paper, connoisseurship analysis and scientific examination of the painting are carried out to elucidate the mystery of this Chinese mural. This study attempted to confirm the Ming Dynasty dating of this painting by demonstrating stylistic affinities between it and other wall paintings dating to the Ming Dynasty. With the help of stylistic analysis and pigments analysis, the time period and geographic information of the mural were narrowed down. This research paper also has linked 1951.230 to other eleven other wall paintings all donated by Ruxton Love Jr. to ten different institutions in the United States and showed evidence that they were painted by the same group of artists.

Comments

Senior thesis completed at Trinity College, Hartford CT for the degree of Bachelor of Arts in Art History, Chemistry.

Download

Share

COinS