Pair Chinese Framed Ancestor Portraits
Pair of Chinese Ancestor portraits in carved red lacquered paneled frames, the top panel decorated with carved dragons above another panel with Chinese characters surrounded by a Greek key border, above the portraits of male and female ancestors, the bottom panel with dragons and the symbol for good fortune. Ancestor portraits have a long history in China. To honor their relatives, family members would commemorate deceased relatives by having their likeness’s painted. Most paintings would be of an individual, but couples or even several generations were sometimes painted together. They would be depicted dressed in their finest official robes, seated in an elaborate chair with their feet on a footstool. Both men and women would be shown wearing necklaces and other jewelry and ornaments along with ornate headdresses. The ornate costumes that the subjects wore was a code to show their rank and status, with both the color of their robes and the embroidered square silk badges on the front accurately indicating their level within court.
- China 1920's
- Height: 64" | Width" 23.75" | Depth: 1"
- Item #8096
- Price: $3,800
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Susan Silver Antiques
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