Large Qing-Dynasty Double Ancestral Portrait China, late 19th C. Guangxu Period

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Large Qing-Dynasty Double Ancestral Portrait
China, late 19th century (Guangxu period, c. 1880–1900)
Ink and mineral pigments on paper, mounted … Read more Large Qing-Dynasty Double Ancestral Portrait
China, late 19th century (Guangxu period, c. 1880–1900)
Ink and mineral pigments on paper, mounted and framed under glass
Sight: 57 in H × 36 in W • Framed: 63 in H × 42 in W

A superb, large-scale Chinese ancestor portrait depicting an imperial civil official of the second rank and his wife, painted in the late-Qing period. The pair are portrayed in formal winter court attire, seated side-by-side before a meticulously rendered architectural screen. Each wears a dark silk surcoat (bufu) embroidered with a golden pheasant rank badge, denoting the erpin wen guan—a second-rank civil official. The wife’s badge mirrors her husband’s, symbolizing marital and spiritual unity.

Behind them, the artist paints an elegant “hall within a hall”—a green-edged pavilion frame containing a landscape of pine and bamboo among scholar’s rocks and distant mountains. These motifs, known as the “Three Friends of Winter,” symbolize steadfast virtue, endurance, and longevity—qualities ascribed to both ancestors and descendants. Between the figures stands an altar table with a tripod incense burner issuing fragrant smoke toward a blank spirit tablet or mirror, the metaphysical portal through which the ancestors receive offerings. Twin blue vases with chrysanthemum sprays flank the altar, the ping (vase) forming a rebus for peace (ping’an), while the chrysanthemums convey nobility and long life.

Rendered in delicate brushwork with mineral pigments, the portrait blends courtly precision with devotional warmth. Such works were commissioned by elite families for display in the ancestral hall and brought out for seasonal rites, embodying filial piety and continuity of lineage. The scale, preservation, and painterly control mark this as an exceptional example of late-imperial portraiture.


Provenance: Private American collection; originally acquired in Hong Kong, circa 1980s

Condition: Excellent for age, with minor toning and creases typical of late-Qing paper; mounted in a later lacquered faux bois frame under Plexiglas. See less