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Official in conversation, smoking a pipe
Sunqua (Attributed)
This image depicts two Qing men in a domestic setting. The seated figure appears to be an official wearing a fur cape with a richly patterned blue and red robe. He sits on the bamboo chair at leisure, smoking a pipe. His attendant in a blue robe is talking in a discreet manner. On the left, a blue vase with pink plum blossoms and an incense burner are placed on a green hexagonal stand. 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 domestic objects. The style combines Chinese painting techniques with elements designed to appeal to Western tastes, particularly in the detailed rendering of the furniture's materials, the textiles' intricate designs, and the figures' individual facial characteristics. Previously described as "Manchu official".
Height: 365 mm
Width: 256 mm
Method of acquisition: Given (1909) by Bothamley, Rev. H.
19th Century
Circa
1830
-
Circa
1870
Export album made for the Western market
Watercolour
Bodycolour
White highlights
Ink
Support composed of pith paper
Drawing : Watercolour, bodycolour, and ink with heightening in white, gold and silver on pith paper, laid down with with strips of blue silk-covered paper
Accession number: 4165.6
Primary reference Number: 185620
Stable URI
Owner or interested party:
The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department:
Paintings, Drawings and Prints
This record can be cited in the Harvard Bibliographic style using the text below:
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IIIF Manifest
The Fitzwilliam Museum (2025) "Official in conversation, smoking a pipe" Web page available at: https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/185620 Accessed: 2025-03-28 18:03:24
To cite this record on Wikipedia you can use this code snippet:
{{cite web|url=https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/185620
|title=Official in conversation, smoking a pipe
|author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2025-03-28 18:03:24|publisher=The
University of Cambridge}}
To call these data via our API (remember this needs to be authenticated) you can use this code snippet:
https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/api/v1/objects/object-185620
To use this as a simple code embed, copy this string:
<div class="text-center">
<figure class="figure">
<img src="https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/pdp/pdp82/4165_286_29_201106_amt49_dc2.jpg"
alt="Official in conversation, smoking a pipe"
class="img-fluid" />
<figcaption class="figure-caption text-info">Official in conversation, smoking a pipe</figcaption>
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