ORThe Open Room
Digital gallery
Back to the NGA collection
The painting depicts a ceremonial gathering from an elevated perspective. The horizon line is high, showing a wide area with green hills, trees, and a vast sky with clouds. The brushwork is detailed, focusing on figures in ceremonial attire. The color palette is earthy with shades of green and brown. Groups of people are gathered, some on horseback or performing rituals. The artwork is contained within an oval frame on the canvas.
Read the visual description

The painting depicts a ceremonial gathering from an elevated perspective. The horizon line is high, showing a wide area with green hills, trees, and a vast sky with clouds. The brushwork is detailed, focusing on figures in ceremonial attire. The color palette is earthy with shades of green and brown. Groups of people are gathered, some on horseback or performing rituals. The artwork is contained within an oval frame on the canvas.

National Gallery of Art · Painting

Ball-Play Dance - Choctaw

George Catlin

Date
1861/1869
Medium
oil on card mounted on paperboard
Dimensions
overall: 47.3 x 63.5 cm (18 5/8 x 25 in.)
Classification
Painting
Accession number
1965.16.137
Credit line
Paul Mellon Collection
Time span
1851 to 1875
Department
CAB
Original NGA record Wikidata

Subjects and terms

  • painted surface
  • American
  • American Paintings, Catlin
  • North American Indian
  • ceremony
  • Choctaw
  • Dance, Ball-Play
Provenance

George Catlin [1796-1872]; by descent to his daughters, Clara Gregory Catlin, Louise Catlin Kinney, and Elizabeth Wing Catlin; purchased 1912 from Elizabeth Wing Catlin by the American Museum of Natural History; sold 1959 through (Kennedy Galleries, New York) to Mr. Paul Mellon, Upperville, VA; gift 1965 to the NGA.

NGA object ID 50445. Collection metadata is reproduced under CC0. This work is included because its NGA published-image record is marked open access; visitors should recheck the source record before substantial reuse.