Ancestor tapestry of the Zhang Family; China, Qing dynasty, Guangxu period, 1875- 1908.

Ancestor tapestry of the Zhang Family; China, Qing dynasty, Guangxu period, 1875- 1908.
Polychrome cloth.
It has slight flaws that do not affect the drawing.
Measurements: 149 x 85 cm.
It is a work that shows a group of characters belonging to the Imperial Court, judging by the ostentatious clothes that they wear, as well as the interior of the palace that is observed in the last instance. Most likely, the two characters located at the top would correspond to the emperor and one of his wives, while the rest of the people would be subjects of the imperial court. The work follows oriental aesthetics, both formally and iconographically. On the one hand, the orderly arrangement of the characters follows the line of the portraits of the ancestors. In this typology of works, the characters are placed in the foreground, looking straight ahead, portrayed with great dignity and a marked naturalistic character, although they present a completely static posture. The characters are usually dressed in embroidered clothes and complements of their condition. Behind the characters there are architectural spaces that act as a backdrop to the representations, offering the viewer more information about who the subjects are.
As mentioned, aesthetically the piece derives from the cult of the ancestors. Ancestor worship is possibly the most widespread religious practice in China, and has its roots in the most remote history of the country, in the earliest manifestations of Chinese culture. It is perfectly integrated in Taoism, Buddhism and Confucianism, and extends to all spheres of Chinese religious life.