19TH CENTURY

Details

A CHINESE ANCESTOR PORTRAIT
19TH CENTURY
Ink and colour on paper, depicting ten male figures and six female figures seated in front of an altar table
62 ¾ x 37 ¾ in. (159.4 x 96 cm.), framed and glazed

Special notice

All sold and unsold lots marked with a filled square in the catalogue that are not cleared from Christie’s by 5:00 pm on the day of the sale, and all sold and unsold lots not cleared from Christie’s by 5:00 pm on the fifth Friday following the sale, will be removed to the warehouse of ‘Cadogan Tate’. Please note that there will be no charge to purchasers who collect their lots within two weeks of this sale.

Lot Essay

China has a long tradition of ancestor worship, where living family members would perform rituals in order to honour their ancestors. Ancestor portraiture, usually painted in workshops by anonymous artists, provided a focal point for these rituals within the home.

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