PORTRAIT OF A CIVIL OFFICIAL

This portrait depicts a Qing dynasty civil official of the second rank, according to the golden pheasant on his rank badge and the coral bead on the finial of his official black velvet cap. The peacock feather suspended from his hat indicates that he received an award from the emperor. His wealth and prestige are further evidenced by his long pearl necklace, tiger skin seat cover, and finely carved wood chair. Portrait of Lirongbao, who was the father-in-law of Emperor Qianlong, was painted posthumously during the 18th/19th century and is now in the Freer Gallery of Art and the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., as illustrated in J. Stuart and E. S. Rawski, Worshiping the Ancestors: Chinese Commemorative Portraits, Washington, D.C., 2001, p. 161, fig. 6.8. Both portraits display the same realistic treatment of the face and sensitively describe the texture of the soft fur of the tiger's pelt and coat edges, as well as the rough quality of the embroidered cloud-scroll bands of the coat cuffs; thereby, indicating that both works share the same date and level of artistic skill.