An Assistant regional commander

This painting is part of a group depicting different costumes worn by Chinese men and women in the early 19th century. It shows an assistant regional commander in a blue robe and yellow jacket. He wears a hat with red tassels, and the peacock feather was given to him by the Chinese emperor in recognition of some meritorious deed he had done. Europeans were fascinated by Chinese dresses and hairstyles which were markedly different from their own, and paintings such as this were mass-produced as souvenir items.