Portrait of Ranking Official, late 18th-early 19th century
Unknown artist, Chinaexpand_more
Ink and color on paperexpand_more
Bequest of Mr. Clinton Morrison in memory of Mrs. Catharine Clerihew Northropexpand_more 2013.37.1
Not on Viewexpand_more
These paintings depict a stereotypical Mandarin (Chinese bureaucratic official) and his wife. He wears long imperial robes of the Qing court with a peacock feathered hat. The image of a crane depicted on the insignia seen on his robe suggests that he holds the highest government position. His wife wears a multicolored robe with green sleeves embroidered with blue and red dragons and blue clouds, red shoes, and a headdress with white and green dangling beads.
The paintings were rendered on pith paper, a naturally occurring membrane harvested from an evergreen shrub that grows in tropical regions. They were produced in China’s southern port cities for sale to Western customers in the late-18th and 19th centuries. While paintings such as these were produced by traditionally trained Chinese artists, European influence is evident in the relatively realistic style. Initially produced as souvenirs for merchants, they soon became commodities in their own right, popular among European collections that had a deep interest in the exotic cultures of the Far East.
Since the purpose of producing export paintings was entirely commercial, most artists rarely signed their works or only added a monogram to identify the workshop to which they belonged.
Details
- Title
- Portrait of Ranking Official
- Role
- Artist
- Accession Number
- 2013.37.1
- Curator Approved
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