id: 311962 accession number: 2019.82 share license status: CC0 url: https://clevelandart.org/art/2019.82 updated: 2022-10-29 17:54:26.445000 Ancestor Group Portrait, 1796–1820. China, Qing dynasty (1644-1911), Jiaqing period (1796-1820). Hanging scroll, ink and color on paper; overall: 278.2 x 112.2 cm (109 1/2 x 44 3/16 in.); painting only: 157.2 x 90.2 cm (61 7/8 x 35 1/2 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Joyce G. Ames in honor of her husband B. Charles Ames 2019.82 title: Ancestor Group Portrait title in original language: series: series in original language: creation date: 1796–1820 creation date earliest: 1796 creation date latest: 1820 current location: creditline: Gift of Joyce G. Ames in honor of her husband B. Charles Ames copyright: --- culture: China, Qing dynasty (1644-1911), Jiaqing period (1796-1820) technique: Hanging scroll, ink and color on paper department: Chinese Art collection: ASIAN - Hanging scroll type: Painting find spot: catalogue raisonne: --- CREATORS --- measurements: Overall: 278.2 x 112.2 cm (109 1/2 x 44 3/16 in.); Painting only: 157.2 x 90.2 cm (61 7/8 x 35 1/2 in.) state of the work: edition of the work: support materials: inscriptions: --- CURRENT EXHIBITIONS title: Facing the Ancestors: Chinese Portraits and Figure Painting – Chinese Gallery Rotation 240a, 241c opening date: 2019-08-12T04:00:00 Facing the Ancestors: Chinese Portraits and Figure Painting – Chinese Gallery Rotation 240a, 241c. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (August 12, 2019-February 2, 2020). --- LEGACY EXHIBITIONS --- PROVENANCE (Christian Lemanissier, Terres D'Ailleurs, Paris, France, sold to B. Charles Ames and Joyce G. Ames) date: c. 2001 footnotes: citations: B. Charles (Chuck) Ames and Joyce (Jay) Grace Ames, Hunting Valley, OH, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art date: c. 2001–2019 footnotes: citations: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH date: 2019– footnotes: citations: --- fun fact: Court officials' wives could wear the same rank badge as their spouses. digital description: From top to bottom this scroll features various generations of ancestors with men on the right and women on the left, 30 figures altogether. Inscribed tablets give their rank and relation within the family. Square badges on their robes indicate each figure's rank as an official. Scrolls of this type were displayed for worship at home during the New Year celebrations. wall description: This scroll features various generations of ancestors, 31 figures altogether including a servant. As men could marry several wives, there are 13 men (right) and 17 women (left). Inscribed tablets give their rank and relation within the family. The bottom row contains the most recent generation and the figure on the right might have commissioned the painting. The frontal orientation is a standard feature in ancestor portraits. Scrolls of this type were displayed for worship at home during New Year celebrations and other occasions.

Square badges on court robes indicate the figure’s rank as an official. The wives of court officials would wear the same rank badge. --- RELATED WORKS --- CITATIONS Von Spee, Clarissa and Yi-Hsia, Hsiao. “Facing the Ancestors.” Cleveland Art: Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine 59, no. 5 (September/October 2019): 14-15. page number: Reproduced and Mentioned: P. 14-15. url: Spee, Clarissa von, and Yi-Hsia Hsiao. "Facing the ancestors." The Asian Art Newspaper: Monthly for Collectors, Dealers, Museums and Galleries 23, no. 2 (Winter 2019): 10. page number: Reproduction and mentioned p. 10 url: --- IMAGES web: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/2019.82/2019.82_web.jpg print: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/2019.82/2019.82_print.jpg full: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/2019.82/2019.82_full.tif