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I found this framed painting. I believe it is done on silk or paper. Any help identifying it and translating the symbols is greatly appreciated. Thank you.

This purports to be a picture of the Late Qing Empress Dowager Cixi, but authentication of its age is needed. The inscription reads down and across from the left in two stacks as "Empress Dowager Cixi, Painted in the first lunar month of the bingyin year", followed by a red seal reading from the left as "Gongshi" (慈禧太后, 丙寅年盂春月筆, [公使] - Ci-xi Tai-hou, Bing yin nian yu chun yue bi, [Gong-shi]).

The Bingyin year came along during Cixi's lifetime in 1866. The red seal of "gongshi" is in my Mathews Dictionary as the title of a diplomatic official who acts on behalf of an ambassador. Read literally, it means "public use". The term doesn't contain a surname, and I don't believe it is a Chinese given name. Maybe Super has a better handle on its meaning here.

In the term 盂春月 (Yu chun yue), "Yu chun" seems to use "Yu" (盂) as an abbreviation for 盂陽 (Yu yang), which Mathews carries as a colloquial term for the first month of spring.

Best regards,

Bill H.

This is a relatively youthful Cixi, the empress dowager (per the column of text on the right), likely painted in recent years from a old photograph, though most photos of her show an older rather than middle-aged woman. The painting is dated as spring of the bingyin year, which equates to either 1866 during Cixi's lifetime, soon after she began wielding power (if the artist's idea is to pretend this was painted from life), or 1986 if it is meant to be a plausible date when the artist may have actually painted the picture.

The only information about the artist is contained in the seal: 公使, but this does not related to anyone I recognize.

Quality is rather low despite a decent rendering of her face and hands.

Just a P.S. to my earlier posting. This photograph (link) seems to be the basis for the one in your picture. Unfortunately, the article doesn't give a date for it. Perhaps you can use it to help find a dated one.

Best regards,

Bill H.

URL Title :Cixi Taihou

Thank you very much for your help. I researched the photograph...but found nothing to indicate when it was taken.

I believe it is from 1866 rather than 1986. The frame it is in is very old. the corners are dove-tailed and it has a wood backing. It just looks old to me. I know people fake art to make it look old...but I would think they would have a known artist mark on it if they went to that effort. I will try to find someone locally to help authenticate the age.

Here are my thoughts on the "public use" seal mentioned in one of the replies. Perhaps it was painted to be placed in a public building....like what we do in government buildings now (picture of the president or governor..etc). I am certainly no expert on Chinese culture...but maybe that is a possibility.

Thanks again for your help. Also I apologize for the poor quality of my photos...I am travelling for work and did the best I could. I could take more detailed ones this weekend if that would help.

David

David, there is zero chance your painting dates from 1866. Don't waste money pursuing that belief. There's plenty of genuine Chinese art on the market at reasonable prices that's more than 1,000 years old (but no paintings) if that is what appeals to you.

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