PT2088

Tombs at Shanghai, China Long Caption: Chinese tombs are often associated with guardian figures, which is what is presumably shown here in the form of two stone sages. The pair of horses behind are probably also monuments. The Ming Dynasty ruled from 1368 to 1644, its greatest funerary monuments being those of the Imperial mausoleum near Beijing. While Butt clearly shows a historic necropolis of some sort, it is also one which at the time was neglected and being used for agriculture (as the strip cultivation behind the stone figures indicates). It would be useful to have more precise information about it, or if it is still known. The Chinese figure in black included for scale appears to be an official and/or perhaps his guide to the site. Credit line: © National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London Object: PAJ2088 Artist: Lt. James Henry Butt Date: December 1867 Medium: watercolour Size: 170 mm x 245 mm Click here to buy a bespoke print of this image.