Vintage Chinese Qing-Style Ancestor Portrait Paintings, Framed - Pair

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Description

A striking matched pair of vintage Chinese portraits depicting a seated male and female figure in elaborate Qing-style ceremonial court … Read more A striking matched pair of vintage Chinese portraits depicting a seated male and female figure in elaborate Qing-style ceremonial court dress. Hand-painted in richly saturated opaque colors on woven textile, the pair draws from the traditional Chinese ancestor portrait tradition while presenting the imagery with a distinctly graphic, decorative character.

Both figures are shown frontally in formal robes with court necklaces and crane rank badges, or buzi. Within the historical Qing court hierarchy, the crane was the insignia associated with the first civil rank, and wives of officials could wear insignia corresponding to their husbands’ rank. These details describe the traditional symbolism represented in the paintings; the sitters themselves have not been identified.

The cream-colored grounds are covered with an unusual network of green and reddish crackle-style linework that appears to be an intentional antiquing treatment incorporated into the compositions. Each painting also bears a red seal-script mark.

The works are hand-painted on a visible woven textile support and presented in matching gilt-tone frames with dark inner borders. The reverse retains a vintage Century Arts Co. framing label from Lansing, Illinois.

Likely dating to the mid-to-late 20th century, the pair offers a colorful decorative interpretation of Chinese Qing court and ancestor portraiture. Their relatively intimate scale makes them especially versatile for a gallery wall, above a console, or displayed together as a symmetrical pair.

Dimensions:
Each artwork: 10.5” W × 13.5” H
Each framed: 13” W × 16” H × 1.25” D

Sold as a pair. See less