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PROPERTY OF A CHICAGO PRIVATE COLLECTOR PROVENANCE wife. For a similar example of the hat see Gary
Dickinson and Linda Wrigglesworth, Imperial
A PAIR OF PORTRAITS OF A Collection of Benjamin Benedict Green-Field Wardrobe, Berkeley California 2000, pl. 87. For
NOBLEMAN AND HIS WIFE (1897-1988), Chicago, acquired in Paris in the a closely related portrait see the ‘Portrait of
QING DYNASTY, 18TH / EARLY 1920s. Linrongbao’s Wife’ in the Free Sackler Museum,
19TH CENTURY Washington D.C. illustrated in Jan Stuart and
Each of the portraits bears several attributes Evelyn Rawski, Worshipping the Ancestors:
ink and color on silk, each depicted seated identifying the couple as members of the Qing Chinese Commemorative Portraits, Freer Sackler
frontally on an elaborately carved black and gilt imperial family. Ceremonial attire was highly Museum, Washington D.C., 2001, pl. 6.7.
lacquer horseshoe-back armchair covered with regulated during the Qing dynasty with colors,
tiger skin, the faces of the young couple nely decorative motifs and accessories indicating $ 30,000-50,000
painted bearing benign expressions, both richly rank and status. The tiger skins draped over the
attired in semi-formal court dress, the man with chairs of both the man, and more unusually, Benjamin Benedict Green Field 1897
a yellow-ground four-clawed dragon, fur-lined the woman references a connection to the
surcoat and fur-trimmed silk cape over a blue- Aisen Gioro clan. The yellow ground of his 1988 1920
ground dragon robe, and on his head a chao guan surcoat and the blue ground of hers were
of a rst-rank o cial; the noblewoman wears a colors available only to imperial princes and the
similar headress, cape and outer robe, fur-lined, wives and daughters of princes, respectively.
with bold writhing four-clawed dragons on a blue The fur-lined cu s, four-clawed dragons, and
ground, the red-knotted buttons and a gold collar the hat surmounted by a white pearl and red
or torque indicating the rank of imperial princess, ruby were restricted to members of the rst
mounted on silk, gilt wood frame (2) rank of the imperial court. Here they relate the
Height of painting 68 in., 172.7 cm; Width 39½ in., husband’s rank and, by association, that of his
100.3 cm
IMPORTANT CHINESE ART 171
