Ancestor portraits were painted posthumously and hung in the temple or altar room. They were being venerated at important anniversaries and weddings.

The portraits were painted by artisans who would offer a selection of features from which the relatives choose those which most resembled the ancestor.

The most important element of the portrait was the badge of rank.

Additional ancestor portraits were painted long after the subjects had died, to replace ones lost or burnt, or if the original portrait of a remote ancestor was in his village far from the current settlement of the clan.

After the invention of the camera, the man and his wife were photographed for posterity wearing their official robes and the photograph hung in the altar room or temple for worship by their descendants.

Most ancestor portraits date from the early to middle Ching dynasty, dating is often possible because they bear Chinese characters indicating the year.

They are painted on linen and later pieces painted on silk or rice paper.

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