- 28
A Chinese Ancestor Portrait Qing dynasty, 18th Century
Estimate
5,000 - 7,000 USD
bidding is closed
Description
ink, color and gold on silk
depicting an older man wearing a chaopao (formal court robe) with a large four-clawed dragon on his chest, its body encircling his shoulders, further dragons on his cuffs and hem, a chaoguan (man's formal winter court hat) with a peacock quill and surmounted by a slender red jewel, and a chaozhu (court necklace); seated on a folding horseshoe-back armchair draped with a tiger-pelt, the accompanying title slip inscribed with the sitter's date of birth in the jiazi year of the Kangxi period (corresponding to 1684) and his death in the dingmao year of the Qianlong period (corresponding to 1747), framed and glazed
depicting an older man wearing a chaopao (formal court robe) with a large four-clawed dragon on his chest, its body encircling his shoulders, further dragons on his cuffs and hem, a chaoguan (man's formal winter court hat) with a peacock quill and surmounted by a slender red jewel, and a chaozhu (court necklace); seated on a folding horseshoe-back armchair draped with a tiger-pelt, the accompanying title slip inscribed with the sitter's date of birth in the jiazi year of the Kangxi period (corresponding to 1684) and his death in the dingmao year of the Qianlong period (corresponding to 1747), framed and glazed
Provenance
J. H. Shinn, Peking, by 1929 (according to an inscription on the title slip).
Private Collection, New York (until the early 1970s).
Thereafter with the present owner.
Private Collection, New York (until the early 1970s).
Thereafter with the present owner.
Condition
numerous tears including one from the upper edge going down to the man's chest, several scratches and abrasions, losses to pigment, some staining, not examined out of the frame, title slip seperated but framed with the portrait
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.
Catalogue Note
Based on the inscription on the title slip and the costume of the sitter (said to be 'Prince Kung' according to a later inscription), he must have been of considerable rank. A similar court robe with large dragon encircling the shoulders, identified as a 'python robe', is illustrated in Zhou Xun et al, 5000 Years of Chinese Costumes, Hong Kong, 1988, no. 308, pp. 182-183.