Posthumous Portrait of Yu Chenglong (1617-1684)

Object Details

• Sitter

  Yu Chenglong 于成龍 (1617-1684)

• Label

  Judging by the date of 1706 in the inscription above the portrait, this painting may have been created to commemorate Yu Chenglong's posthumous receipt of an imperial promotion. The style in which the face was rendered, however, suggests that this painting was actually produced in the nineteenth century, and the inscription may have been either copied from an earlier portrait or taken from it and remounted above this painting. Yu is depicted with a red nose. Was this a sign that he was fond of drinking, a fact cited in his biography? The treatment of Yu's nose stands out as an example of the realistic touches often found in Chinese portraits, whether posthumously executed or not.

• Provenance

  To ca.1949

  Wu Laixi 吳賴熙 (d. ca.1949-1950) reportedly acquired from decedents of noble Chinese families [1]

  ca.1949 to 1959

  Wu Ping-Chung (dates unknown) inherited ownership upon Wu Laixi's death around 1949 [2]

  1959 to 1985

  Richard G. Pritzlaff (1902-1997) by transfer of ownership from Wu Ping-Chung on June 15, 1959 [3]

  1985 to 1987

  H. Ross Perot (1930-2019) purchased from Richard G. Pritzlaff in 1985 [4]

  1987 to 1997

  Richard G. Pritzlaff purchased from H. Ross Perot in 1987 [5]

  1997

  Estate of Richard G. Pritzlaff, upon the death of Richard G. Pritzlaff on February 6, 1997 [6]

  From 1997

  The Arthur M. Sackler Gallery purchased from the Estate of Richard G. Pritzlaff [7]

  Notes:

  [1] Wu Laixi 吳賴熙 (alternate romanization: Wu Lai-hsi) was an antiquities dealer who often sold high-quality, imperial goods sourced from Chinese nobles, among other sources. Active in the 1930s and 1940s, Wu Laixi purchased portraits in China, reportedly for his personal collection and for resale; he took great pride in his collection, labeling himself as the first collector of Chinese ancestor portraits.

  In 1937, Wu sold portraits to the American, Richard G. Pritzlaff, who was visiting China. Pritzlaff and Wu remained in touch for the remainder of Wu's life. This portrait was one of those sold in 1937, according to conversation between Jan Stuart and Richard Pritzlaff in 1990 held at Pritzlaff's New Mexican Ranch. See also Jan Stuart & Evelyn S. Rawski, Worshiping the Ancestors: Chinese Commemorative Portraits (Stanford & Washington: Stanford University Press with Smithsonian Institution, 2001), 22.

  [2] See note 1. Upon Wu's death, Pritzlaff contacted Wu's son, Wu Ping-Chung who lived in Taiwan; he declined to claim the collection but retained ownership rights until he transferred them to Pritzlaff in 1959. See the letter from Wu Ping-Chung addressed "To Whom it May Concern," June 15, 1959, witnessed by Major Thurman W. Oliver of the United States Army, copy in accession file. In the letter Wu declares, "I .... Hereby transfer, for remunerations received, my interest and rights inherited from my father, Mr. Wu Lai-hsi, deceased, in his collection of paintings, to Mr. Richard Pritzlaff of Sapello, New Mexico, U.S.A."

  [3] See note 2. Richard G. Pritzlaff was a collector of Chinese art and a rancher who initially raised cattle but then became a well-known breeder of Arabian horses. When studying landscape architecture at University of California at Berkeley and then at Harvard, he developed an interest in China. He traveled there in 1937 and began collecting Chinese objects. For Pritzlaff's account of how he acquired his collection, see letter addressed "Dear Sir" from Pritzlaff, October12, 1988, copy in accession file.

  [4] H. Ross Perot was an American business magnate, billionaire, philanthropist and politician. He ran for president in 1992 and 1996, establishing the Reform Party. In 1985, Perot visited Pritzlaff's ranch to inspect his Arabian horses. After the visit, Perot unexpectedly approached Pritzlaff, proposing to purchase the collection of Chinese ancestor portraits and construct a museum in Texas to house them. In 1987, when it became clear that Perot had decided

  not to construct the museum, Pritzlaff bought back the collection. For specifics of this transaction, see letter from H. Ross Perot's daughter, Nancy P. Mulford to James Cahill, December 26, 1986 and September 11, 1987, copies in accession file. James Cahill (1926-2014), curator at Freer Gallery of Art from 1958--1965 and then faculty at University of California at Berkley, evaluated the collection when owned by Perot. For an account of Cahill's experiences, see http://jamescahill.info/the-writings-of-james-cahill/responses-a-reminiscences/167-45-my-day-with-ross-perotw.

  [5] See note 4. While Pritzlaff arranged for the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery to acquire most of his collection through partial gift and partial purchase in 1991, he kept this painting until he died.

  [6] For the purchase agreement, see accession file.

• Collection

  National Museum of Asian Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  Worshipping the Ancestors: Chinese Commemorative Portraits (June 17 to September 9, 2001)

  The Arts of China (November 18, 1990 to September 7, 2014)

• Previous custodian or owner

  Wu Laixi 吳賴熙 (died ca. 1950)

  Wu Ping-Chung

  Richard G. Pritzlaff (1902-1997)

  H. Ross Perot (1930-2019)

  Estate of Richard G. Pritzlaff

• Origin

  China

• Credit Line

  Purchase — Smithsonian Unrestricted Trust Funds

• Type

  Painting

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

  There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.

  The information presented on this website may be revised and updated at any time as ongoing research progresses or as otherwise warranted. Pending any such revisions and updates, information on this site may be incomplete or inaccurate or may contain typographical errors. Neither the Smithsonian nor its regents, officers, employees, or agents make any representations about the accuracy, reliability, completeness, or timeliness of the information on the site. Use this site and the information provided on it subject to your own judgment. The National Museum of Asian Art welcomes information that would augment or clarify the ownership history of objects in their collections.

Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1700s, 1900s

• Name

  Wu, Ping-Chung, Wu, Laixi, Estate of Richard G. Pritzlaff, Pritzlaff, Richard G., Perot, H. Ross

• Place

  China

• Topic

  Art, Chinese Art, Qing dynasty (1644 - 1911), Portraits

• Culture

  Chinese

• Object Type

  Paintings