Portrait of a Gentleman

16th or 17th century

Not on view

A gentleman with a long, flowing beard sits on a tiger skin draped over a chair of luxurious carved lacquer. Behind him, a standing screen holds a painting of misty mountains. His robe of rich vermilion is adorned with a rank badge featuring two cranes; if accurate, such a badge would indicate that he was a civil official of the first rank, but people sometimes stretched the truth in premodern Chinese portraits to elevate their achievements. A portrait such as this one might have been made during the lifetime of the recipient, but after his death it would have been venerated in the family’s ancestral shrine or hall.

Artwork Details

Overview

Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings

Provenance

明　佚名　人物像　軸
Title: Portrait of a Gentleman
Artist: Unidentified artist , 16th or 17th century
Period: Ming dynasty (1368–1644)
Date: 16th or 17th century
Culture: China
Medium: Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk
Dimensions: 56 7/8 x 35 1/8 in. (144.5 x 89.2 cm)
Classification: Paintings
Credit Line: Gift of Jackson E. Reynolds, 1951
Object Number: 51.39.4
Curatorial Department: Asian Art

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