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Chinese Ancestor Portrait Hanging Scroll browse these categories for related items... All Items: Archives:Regional Art:Asian:Chinese: Pre 1920: item # 676216 Please refer to our stock # 60-51 when inquiring.
Silk Road Gallery PO Box 2175 Branford, Connecticut 06405, USA (203) 208-0771 Guest Book SOLD |
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| The bold colors and handsome couple on this ancestor portrait from China make it an especially decorative piece of art. Although not as old as ancestor paintings we have sold for several decades, it follows classic ancestor portrait style, with each person facing directly forward, unsmiling, the man's hands and shoes showing, the woman's hands and shoes covered. The ancestor painting formula for serious faces sometimes resulted in stern, sour or vacant expressions but in this case both husband and wife have a pleasant, regal look. They also appear younger than the couples in most formal portraits. The square rank badges on their robes show birds, which indicated a Qing civil rank. This scroll probably was painted during last years of the Qing Dynasty, which ended in 1912, or during the early years of the Republic Period that followed. Dating Chinese ancestor portraits with any precision is difficult because they so often were retouched or completely repainted. We at first thought this one was an even later painting but on closer examination when we took it out of storage where it had been for nearly 10 years we find signs that date it during the early 20th century. It is painted on ecru rice paper mounted and bordered with darker toned silk. The top and bottom of the piece are overlaid with panels of rice paper in a shade slightly darker than the ecru rice paper. It was quite common for the robes and headwear on ancestor portraits to be painted using a stenciled outline, and the back of this scroll shows such an outline. The family commissioned the painting, selected a stencil with the appropriate headwear and robes, then had the artist paint the ancestral faces and add color and detail to the robes and headwear. For individual facial characteristics, the artist generally worked from descriptions or, if available, earlier paintings or photographs of the ancestors. The appeal of this piece is in its clean simplicity and strong color, attributes that could be emphasized by framing the painted ecru rice paper portion of the scroll. The painting is in very good condition. The silk border on the left and right measures 2-1/2" (6 cm) Dimensions of the scroll: height 82" (208 cm), width 43" (109 cm). Dimensions of the ecru rice paper: height 59" (150 cm), width 38" (97 cm). Height of the painted figures on the rice paper is 44" (112 cm). | |||||||||||
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