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Chinese Lunar New Year Painted Scroll

circa 1900

Chinese New Year paintings (nian hua) are colorful folk paintings created to celebrate the annual Spring Festival. Drawn or printed by folk artists in regional studios, nian hua paintings featured exaggerated characters with bright and contrasting colors. Put up around the home to beckon luck and happiness in the coming year, most paintings depicted mythical guardians, scenes from folk operas, or auspicious symbols of good luck. This New Year painting depicts a young woman holding a vase filled with peony blossoms. This combination of motifs is a visual idiom for "may you have peace and prosperity" (ping'an fu gui). The early 20th century painting is from the town of Yangliuqing, one of the leading producers of traditional New Year's paintings known for its combination of woodblock printing...

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

Since the 12th century, people in China have used folding screens and doors to partition and decorate their homes - the vivid scenes backing the screens added life and color to a roo...

Since the 12th century, people in China have used folding screens and doors to partition and decorate their homes - the vivid scenes backing the screens added life and color to a room. This 19th-century painting is delicately brushed of gouache and ink on fabric and was originally part of a set of eight backing a wooden screen in northern China. The figure depicted is one of the mythical Eight Immortals of Taoism. Said to have attained immortality through their studies of the natural world, each of the Eight Immortals represents a different condition in life and together they impart a blessing of prosperity and longevity. Depicted here is immortal Lan Caihe, the patron saint of florists and gardeners. Standing atop a lotus leaf in open water, they hold a gardening hoe in one hand and a basket for flowers...

A stunning antique Chinese school ink wash painting, 19th century, ink and color on silk, finely detailed, richly decorated, elegantly colored, depicting landscape courtier processio...

A Chinese Qing Dynasty period painting from the 19th century of an ancestral group portrait in custom frame. Immerse yourself in the rich tapestry of Chinese history with this Qing Dynasty period painting, an ancestral group portrait from the 19th century that masterfully captures the essence of traditional Chinese society and family hierarchy. This vertical painting, housed in a custom composition wood frame with plexiglass, is a testament to the time-honored artistry of Qing Dynasty artists. Crafted on parchment paper, the painting displays generations of ancestors in a systematic, frontal arrangement. The chromatic spectrum of their robes - blues, reds, greens, golds, blacks, and oranges - adds vibrant depth to the ancestral tribute. Civil officials are distinguished by bird-adorned buzi, an emblem of their rank. In line with tradition, the portrait hierarchy descends from top to bottom - the older generation presides at the top, followed by subsequent generations. The men are positioned on the right, the women on the left, reflecting the societal norms of the period. Bordering the parchment, a silk frame contributes an elegant finish. Display this painting above a credenza, console table, or enfilade, and it promises to enhance any interior space with its captivating allure and cultural resonance. This Qing Dynasty painting...

Scroll Painting of Chinese Qing Dynasty Family Generations of Imperial Officers This family with few generations withheld positions in imperial officers Purchased from Christie's in ...

Magnificent Chinese scroll ancestor painting showing patriarch and matriarch of a high ranking status civil official. This unusual scroll depicts the dignitary couple seated below a ...