Pair of Qing Dynasty Chinese Ancestor Portraits
Item Details
A significant pair of Qing Dynasty (late 18th/early 19th century) Chinese ancestor paintings in tempura paint on paper and silk depicting a high ranking official and his wife, both wearing elaborate robes, beads and headdress. The older female ancestor has a pleasant expression with a rare subtle smile. She wears a high head dress and gold earrings dripping with pearls, a peking glass necklace and under robes in green and gold with a dragon motif. The panel at the front of her robe displays the mythical phoenix ‘feng huang’ and she is seated on red and gold silk textiles draped over the chair.
The male painting illustrates the ancestor with detailed facial features and a wispy beard at tip of his chin. He is seated on a chair with a tiger pelt at the base and wears a conical hat and a cobalt blue robe with dragons and gold detailing. The panel at his chest depicts a gray kitten. Both paintings are mounted on figured beige silk, they are professionally framed under glass in gold gilt wood frames that compliment the paintings.
Ancestor portraits were important paintings commissioned throughout Chinese history to pay respect to ancestors and displayed only on holidays, specifically during the Chinese New Year. Accurate representation of the ancestor’s facial features was of strict importance, the remembered family members were in no way idealized. The body however was more two dimensional and generic in design, it served the purpose of being a blank slate to display ornate clothing with symbolism to indicate rank and social standing. The male often sat on a chair adorned with a tiger pelt to indicate a high ranking and women typically sat on silk embroidered textiles.
Condition
The ancestor paintings show their age in the form of slight craquelure to the paint which is otherwise vibrant. The male ancestor painting has a very faint water spot in the upper left corner and the female counterpart has a small area of the background at the figures left shoulder that appears to have been re-painted long, long ago.
Dimensions
Item #
16CIN490-003
