Chinese Ancestor Portrait of a Mandarin Dignitary

Antique Verre Eglomise Chinese Export reverse glass painting. Beautiful Chinese reverse glass painting of two women in a Chinese garden with a scroll. This painting is particularly vibrant and exquisite in color and detail. The wood frame painting...

Modern 20th century Chinese Intaglio Calligraphy. This image represents the meaning of “Self Renewal“ characterized by its unique style of calligraphy related elements, such as wo...

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Original Gilbert Stuart oil painting portrait of Henrietta Hillegas (Mrs. Joseph Anthony), ca. 1796 Exquisite portrait by the American painter Gilber...

19th Century American School Portrait Oil Painting of a Young Girl. Wonderful antique portrait of a charming little girl standing in a warm toned room setting with oriental rug and tapestry wall decoration. She seems to view a pair of small paintings...

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A Chinese 'Ancestor Portrait' oil on canvas laid down on board, depicting a seated dignitary. The Chinese characters identify the artist at Giuseppe Castiglione...

Believing that the departed continue to hold influence over the lives of the living, many Chinese households honor their ancestors in private family rituals, invoking their spirits for long life, health, and prosperity. Commemorative portraits, which came into vogue in the late Ming and Qing dynasties, were commissioned specifically for ancestor worship and were believed to house the spirits of the deceased. When properly cared for, one's ancestors were believed to be a powerful source of honor, protection, and good luck. This pair of ancestor portraits was hand-painted in the late-19th century and beautifully depicts a Qing-dynasty couple. While some ancestral portraits offer a more stylized representation of one's ancestors, this particular pair is painted with incredible realism and life-like expressions. Rather than depict the pair in a regal hall wearing elaborate finery, the couple is shown in a quiet home environment, seated at either end of a square tea table. Their surroundings are minimal, practically undecorated, and they wear simple, matching blue silk robes. Two young children stand beside them, each trying to capture the attention of their grandparent. We love the painting's close attention to detail and the glimpse it offers of Qing-dynasty interiors - from the carved apron of the marble-top table to the red silk lotus slippers...

This intricately detailed composition is a late-Qing dynasty ancestor portrait depicting several generations of a family's male ancestry. Or...

Believing that the departed continue to hold influence over the lives of the living, many Chinese households honor their ancestors in private family rituals, invoking their spirits f...

A nice pair of Chinese ancestor family group portraits, 19th century, on paper, framed in teak frames under glass. Twelve characters total in per...

Qing Dynasty Chinese Ancestor painting. Antique Chinese Ancestor paintings are sought after for their warm colors and traditional pa...