Pavilions by a mountain stream
16th-17th century
Classification
Painting
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Gift of Charles Lang Freer
Accession Number
F1911.155e
Tags
About this artwork
Two figures in separate pavilions among the hills gaze at each other across an expanse of water. The elaborate one-room viewing tower at right is built on a sturdy stone foundation and the covered walkway behind it may connect to a larger public structure of some kind. Supported above the water on pilings, its simpler counterpart at left is more likely part of a private dwelling, which includes the walled garden in back.
About the Artist
Unknown
The artist designated as "Unknown" in our virtual museum's collection exemplifies a poignant chapter in art history: creators whose identities have faded into obscurity despite the enduring power of their work. With only one known artwork attributed to them in our holdings, this figure represents countless anonymous hands that shaped visual culture across centuries. Museums worldwide, including th...