Not currently on display at the V&A

Portrait of an Old Woman

Painting
1675-1725
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Unknown artist, Portrait of an Anonymous Woman, 1675-1725, ink and colour on silk. This portrait would have been one of a pair, hung to the left of a portrait of her husband during the ceremony of ancestral worship. It shows an anonymous woman in Manchu dress. She is wearing a black cap with a pearl at the front. A decorative hair ornament with flowers and double happiness characters is attached to the back of the cap by a pin. Three looped earrings piece both ears. Her face is painted realistically with heavy wrinkles. She is wearing a plain dark blue overcoat with white fur trimmings and horsehoof cuffs. It fastens at the centre with four decorative red spherical toggles. Under the coat is a dark maroon robe with horsehoof cuffs. She is seated on a folding chair covered with a predominantly pink throw decorated with a green scrolling medallions. The chair is placed on a red carpet with two large five-claw dragon motifs.

Object details

Object type
TitlePortrait of an Old Woman (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Gongbi zhongcai
Brief description
Unknown artist, Portrait of an Old Woman, 1675 - 1725, ink and colour on silk, China, paintings and drawings
Physical description
Large size portrait in wood frame, unglazed.
Dimensions
  • Height: 174cm (whole picture including frame)
  • Width: 110cm (whole picture including frame)
Style
Credit line
Given by Mrs Linda Murray
Object history
Given by Mrs Linda Murray in 1995.
Summary
Unknown artist, Portrait of an Anonymous Woman, 1675-1725, ink and colour on silk. This portrait would have been one of a pair, hung to the left of a portrait of her husband during the ceremony of ancestral worship. It shows an anonymous woman in Manchu dress. She is wearing a black cap with a pearl at the front. A decorative hair ornament with flowers and double happiness characters is attached to the back of the cap by a pin. Three looped earrings piece both ears. Her face is painted realistically with heavy wrinkles. She is wearing a plain dark blue overcoat with white fur trimmings and horsehoof cuffs. It fastens at the centre with four decorative red spherical toggles. Under the coat is a dark maroon robe with horsehoof cuffs. She is seated on a folding chair covered with a predominantly pink throw decorated with a green scrolling medallions. The chair is placed on a red carpet with two large five-claw dragon motifs.
Collection
Accession number
FE.66-1996

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Record createdJune 25, 2009
Record URL
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