An Assistant regional commander
1800
paint
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
1800
paint
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
Dominant colour
An Assistant regional commander is a 1800 paint by Unknown, a Romanticism work, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.
This painting shows a man in a blue robe and yellow jacket, wearing a hat with red tassels. He's an assistant regional commander, and the peacock feather on his hat was a special gift from the Chinese emperor. This kind of painting was popular among Europeans, who were curious about Chinese clothes and hairstyles. You can learn more about this style of painting at the Victoria and Albert Museum.
The painting depicts an assistant regional commander from early 19th-century China, dressed in a long blue robe beneath a short yellow jacket, with a hat adorned by red tassels and a peacock feather—a symbol of imperial recognition. Holding a long blade, he stands as one of twenty-four detailed costume subjects in a rectangular composition. Produced for European audiences, such works reflected curiosity about Chinese attire and were widely distributed as souvenirs.
Read the full account in the museum source.
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