Birthday Portrait of a Young Manchu Lady, c. 1800-1850, 45 3/16 × 26 5/8 in. (114.8 × 67.6 cm) (image)83 × 34 15/16 in. (210.8 × 88.7 cm) (without roller)86 1/8 × 39 1/16 in. (218.8 × 99.2 cm) (mount, with roller), Ink and color on silk, China, 18th-19th century, This aristocratic young woman wears a blue robe adorned with circular shou (longevity) characters, telling us that her portrait was commissioned to celebrate her birthday. She is seated at a lacquered table on a garden terrace, wearing a fashionable hairstyle and surrounded by refined and expensive objects. On the table near her elbow are a snuff bottle, fan, ruyi (wish-granting) scepter, and a porcelain flower vase. At her feet are a blue-and-white flowerpot and an unusual tissue container or sewing box, possibly made in Europe. Both objects are lavishly decorated with butterflies, an auspicious motif whose Chinese character (die) is a pun for the word meaning 'age 70'another way of wishing someone a long, happy life.