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This painting is by an unknown artist from China. A painting on silk depicting a procession of a successful candidate in the civil service examinations. At the back, towards the upper right corner, is a young woman, probably his bride-to-be, dressed in a red coat with blue collar, sitting in a sedan chair carried by four men. In front is another more ornate red and green sedan chair with dragon motifs and a butterfly fixed to each corner of the roof. A man wearing a coat with a Mandarin square walks beside it. Walking in front are musicians and four paper lantern carriers, which have the words shuang xi, or double happiness, written on them. Also in the procession are drummers, a gong carrier and men carrying placards, metal lanterns and flags with symbolic images, such as an open hand and an axe head, on long poles.
Title
Procession of a Successful Candidate in the Civil Service Examinations
Date
late 19th C
Medium
pigment on silk
Measurements
H 46 x W 70.5 cm
Accession number
1996.355
Acquisition method
gift, 1996
Work type
Painting