A portrait of Guan Tianpei, Qing dynasty, 19th century

拍品描述

Property from an Important New York Private Collection ink and color on silk, framed Height 59⅝ in., 151.5 cm; Width 35⅛ in., 89.3 cm Guan Tianpei (1781–1841), known by the courtesy name Zhongyin or style name Zipu, was among the most important Chinese military heroes of the nineteenth century. Born in rural Jiangsu in 1781, Guan soon rose through the imperial examination system, and established himself as a worthy military commander. By 1834, Guan had risen to serve as Commander-in-Chief of the entire Guangdong Naval Forces. Tasked by commissioner Lin Zexu with the prohibition of the opium trade, Guan led his troops to capture British contraband and, as the First Opium War broke out in 1839, mobilized the fleet for full-scale combat. Falling in the Battle of the Bogue (1841) whilst leading a counter-attack and refusing to retreat, Guan is celebrated today by British and Chinese sources alike for his bravery and sacrifice. Personally mourned by the Daoguang Emperor, who wrote a eulogy in his honor and promoted him posthumously with the titles of Qiduwei and Yunqiwei, Guan is immortalized today in the Loyal and Exemplary Duke Guan Ancestral Hall in Huai'an, Jiangsu province. At least two other ancestral portraits of Guan Tianpei survive, depicting him in the more conventional nineteenth century style with an almost photorealistic likeness featuring a dark wispy beard and wrinkled features: one preserved in the aforementioned Ancestral Hall and the other, of almost identical design and eulogy, preserved in the Nanjing Museum of Art. In contrast, the present portrait evokes a more abstracted view of the commander as a figure beyond history. Rendered in the softer palette of earlier imperial portraiture with a fine grey beard and an expressive peacock feather symbolising his high rank, the present Guan Tianpei appears as he may have done if had lived to retirement; his gaze soft yet steely, his battle-worn posture tough yet serene.

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