Ancestor Painting, Grandfather Official in Scarlet colour-brown With bevelled glass

With bevelled glass

These extraordinary

rounded top rail and decorative carved apron

The cabinet is from Shanxi in central China and has panels inset into rounded frames - a common feature of furniture from the region

Ancestor Painting, Grandfather Official in Scarlet colour-brown With bevelled glassAncestor portraits like this one formed an important part of the Chinese practice of ancestor worship. The family had a duty to honour and commemorate their ancestors, with rituals and offerings being an important part of this. Portraits were usually near life size and painted from a front perspective, with the subjects usually seated and wearing robes to show the insignia of their rank. Original ancestor paintings are now rare and highly sought