Antique Chinese Ancestor Portrait Scroll From Ming or Qing Dynasty

Details

Description

This is an antique Chinese ancestor portrait scroll, possibly depicting the Empress Dowager Cixi.
These portraits were prevalent during the … Read more This is an antique Chinese ancestor portrait scroll, possibly depicting the Empress Dowager Cixi.
These portraits were prevalent during the late Ming and Qing dynasties and were commissioned as a sign of filial devotion.
They typically depict the subject in a formal, frontal pose, often seated in a throne.
The paintings were created for use in family shrines and often used during commemorative rituals.
The scroll appears to be a gouache and ink painting on silk.

Empress Dowager Cixi (1835-1908) at middle age in Spring robes, gouache and ink on silk, unsigned, housed in faux bamboo frame with balsa wood mat

Size:
16”x 36” plus 1.5” one side handle
The bottom handle on one side is missing, and there is some fraying of the fabric - all in line with age See less