Dimensions: Height 40 cm Wide 27 cm (only painting)
Weight: 1334 grams with frame

The painting depicts the renowned historian and statesman Sima Guang seated on a rock, dressed in official robes with a tall cap, holding a scroll in his hands. His long beard and expressive features are rendered with delicate brushwork, while the drapery of his robe is outlined in bold ink strokes and softly shaded washes. The inscription at the upper right identifies the subject.

Sima Guang (1019–1086) was a distinguished scholar-official of the Northern Song dynasty, best known for compiling the monumental historical chronicle Zizhi Tongjian (“Comprehensive Mirror to Aid in Government”). In the Qing dynasty, portraits of eminent Song figures such as Sima Guang were revered as embodiments of Confucian virtue and learning.

Comparable examples of Confucian portraits on silk from the mid-19th century can be found in the Palace Museum, Beijing, and in the Shanghai Museum.

The present work, with its fine preservation and inscription, represents a scholarly portrait painting in the Qing literati tradition, created in veneration of one of China’s greatest historians.