Pair of Colorful Chinese Ancestor Portraits

Expressionist portrait of a bearded young man in a red shirt and blue jeans, reading from a book. Signed An Hua Hsiung in verso. Rustic wood frame.

Colorful acrylic on board abstract with green, black, orange, cream and gold in the design.

Vibrantly colored still life featuring a pitcher, a ceramic container and fruit in a wire bowl. Matted and framed, signed Hoffman. Framed 22.75" H x 25.25" W x 0.5" D.

Colorful abstract oil on canvas of intense greens, soft blues, vibrant yellows, signed William Stebbins (1928-2006), lower right. Nicely framed in a gold leaf wood deep frame. Stebbins was an award wining artist from Chicago Illinois, who was contract for many commercial pieces including a rendering of Wrigley Field...

Large animated and primary colored painting titled "Baby Shower" by Illinois Artist Gloria Dugan. Oil on art board in a Primitive two part white lacquered wood and unfinished weathered wood frame.

Colorful block print of a red and green shelled turtle on a green background. Titled "Turtle," numbered "Second 60 60, signed "Whitey Pollock", and dated "50." Framed dimensions: ...

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...

Chinese ancestor portrait of a Mandarin Dignitary. Antique tempera on paper painting of a Mandarin Dignitary wearing a red court dress and s...

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...