Chinese headwear has such a long history and variety of styles, shapes, colors and accompanying ornaments, some scholars call China “the Kingdom of Headwear.” Divided into many categories appropriate for those in a certain social, political or court status or rank, headgear alone included crowns, hats, caps, turbans and kerchiefs with each category having many examples. Chinese hats are so varied, it makes identifications of wood-carved subjects very difficult, especially in the case of ancestors who were often provided accoutrements of a status they did not have when alive. Cylindrical hats with a low front and higher back commonly worn by military persons, and a variant called jieze were also used by both civil officials and commoners. Another hat called a futou similarly shaped had a wing-like flap on each side, and the two small vertical projections atop the hat recall earlier ones with large vertical flaps. The black cloth futuo (meaning ‘black gauze cap’) worn by Ming officials was still depicted in some Qing images was based on the futou of the Tang dynasty.
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Dressed in a red robe with a high neck collar, extremely wide sleeves extending below the knees and a belt around his waist, this ancestor figure portrayed as a civilian official standing on a rectangular base with hands together wearing a long civil official’s robe that extends to his shoes but has no rank badge indicated.
Tudi Gong is the Chinese Earth or Land God referred to by many names and often fondly referred to by commoners as “Grandpa.” He is a syncretic deity and tutelary deity, responsible for administrating and protecting the affairs of small towns and villages, especially issues concerning agriculture or wealth, and is believed to control the…
Ancestor-figures like this portrayed as a Mandarin official were placed on a home altar along with other house gods and religious images to bring blessings of fu to the household. Mandarin officials were lesser status public officials who acquired this rank by passing rigid exams. In the Qing dynasty this designation was considered so significant…
Ancestor-figures portrayed as Chinese-officials were placed on a home altar with other house gods and religious images to bring fu to the household. During the Qing dynasty, designation as an Official was so significant families sought to emphasize this achievement in family ancestral figures. As traditional, this carve official has a serious expression, sits on…
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