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Qing Dynasty Blue White and Black Gouache Scroll Geishas

One of a kind Chinese painted mirror, or mirror with reverse painting, originally from the Qing Dynasty, around the end of the 19th century. It depicts various traditional scenes fo...

Highly decorative and visually stunning, these two paintings depict scenes with winged cherubs or putti, figures that were very common in the Renaissance and Baroque periods. These d...

Amazing and Exquisite vertical Chinese scroll, 18th century Qing Dynasty, blue, white, and brown, "Geisha Pair" (Gouache on paper, hanging vertically, possibly a vertical scroll, fra...

Believing that the departed continue to hold influence over the lives of the living, many Chinese households honor their ancestors in private family rituals, invoking their spirits for long life, health, and prosperity. Commemorative portraits, which came into vogue in the late Ming and Qing dynasties, were commissioned specifically for ancestor worship and were believed to house the spirits of the deceased. When properly cared for, one's ancestors were believed to be a powerful source of honor, protection, and good luck. This pair of ancestor portraits was hand-painted in the 19th century and beautifully depicts a Qing-dynasty couple. While some ancestral portraits offer a more stylized representation of one's ancestors, this particular pair is painted with incredible realism and life-like expressions. Rather than depict the pair in a regal hall wearing elaborate finery, the couple is shown in a quiet home environment, seated at either end of a square tea table. Their surroundings are minimal, practically undecorated, and they wear simple, matching blue silk robes...