Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.
If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.
A Rare, Large Painting on Deerskin
A rare painting on deerskin, the central cartouche decorated with a garden scene of red-roofed pavilions and ladies at scholarly pursuits; the scene flanked by a red-capped crane and a deer, both emblems of longevity. The lower panels decorated with a man dressed as a Ming grandee in a flowing red robe with front medallion and carrying a hu, symbol of office; a fan held above him by a servant. To the left and right decorative panels.
The cartouche framed by four feng huang: two female birds with even numbered curling tail feathers for the female element, yin; above the male birds, each with three serrated tail feathers: the uneven numbers of feathers representing the male element, yang. The birds decorated in the five fundamental colours of the five Confucian virtues: black, white, red, grey and yellow – the colour palette repeated throughout the painting.
Chinese, 18th/19th century
Width: 213.5 cms
Height: 183 cms
For another painting on deerskin of comparable size, see:
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, depicting the Forts Zeelandia and Provintia and the City of Tainan, in south west Taiwan,
Do you have a question?
Send us a message by completing the form below. We will be more than happy to reply to any of your questions