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Qing Official Seated on a Tiger Skin: 4168.3

An image of Drawing

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Object information

Current Location: In storage

Titles

Qing Official Seated on a Tiger Skin

Maker(s)

Yunqua

Entities

Categories

Description

A watercolour drawing from the album 4168. This image depicts a high-ranking Qing official seated in an ornate chair. The figure wears court robes in orange and blue with elaborate dragon motifs and cloud patterns, indicating his high status. His outfit features intricate embroidery with a prominent central dragon medallion, and the lower portion displays wave patterns in dark blue with floral elements. He wears a red cap with blue trim and a peacock feather, and has a well-groomed mustache. The official sits in an intricately carved wooden chair with curved armrests, covered with a tiger skin. The painting is executed in the style typical of Chinese export art from around the late 18th or early 19th century, with careful attention to details in the clothing, furniture, and decorative objects. The style combines Chinese painting techniques with elements designed to appeal to Western tastes, particularly in the detailed rendering of the figure's sumptuous costume and the well-appointed interior setting. Previously described as "Manchu official seated on and animal skin".

Measurements and weight

Height: 336 mm
Width: 253 mm

Acquisition and important dates

Method of acquisition: Given (1909) by Bothamley, Rev. H.

School or Style

Chinese
Chinese export art
Chinese export watercolour

Materials used in production

Watercolour
Bodycolour
White highlights
Ink

Components of the work

Support composed of pith paper

Techniques used in production

Drawing : Watercolour, bodycolour, and ink with heightening in white and silver, on pith paper, laid down with with strips of blue silk-covered paper

Identification numbers

Accession number: 4168.3
Primary reference Number: 185641
Stable URI

Audit data

Created: Monday 10 October 2011 Updated: Thursday 28 August 2025 Last processed: Thursday 28 August 2025

Associated departments & institutions

Owner or interested party: The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department: Paintings, Drawings and Prints

Citation for print

This record can be cited in the Harvard Bibliographic style using the text below:

The Fitzwilliam Museum (2025) "Qing Official Seated on a Tiger Skin" Web page available at: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/185641 Accessed: 2025-12-05 11:50:21

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{{cite web|url=https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/185641 |title=Qing Official Seated on a Tiger Skin |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2025-12-05 11:50:21|publisher=The University of Cambridge}}

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