A clay model of a court official, grasping in his right hand a halberd with a long bamboo pole, resting in a slot in the rectangular wood base, which is painted to simulate veined blue marble; in his left hand, a white-checked handkerchief. The face impassive, with small moustache and beard, and holes pierced for the insertion of real hair; wearing a circular black hat with gilt decoration, topped by a turquoise bead finial. The long purple coat with full, pale blue-lined sleeves, and a collar and shaped epaulettes with gilt decoration of butterflies and clouds; on the chest, a ‘mandarin square’ with a white crane above rocks and waves, parted below to reveal a pleated under-robe decorated in colours with rocks and waves and a striped border, and an apron with scrolls in red.

In the time of George IV, these lifelike models were among the most typical and impressive contents of the Gallery at the Royal Pavilion, Brighton. Such models appear to have been produced in South China, within reach of the port of Guangzhou, and were essentially made for the European market.

Text from Chinese and Japanese Works of Art in the Collection of Her Majesty The Queen: Volume III.