Clay figure of a seated Mandarin, perhaps paired with RCIN 26085, seated on a similar blue-and-white throne (but see also RCIN 26083). His left hand projecting from the sleeve of his knee-length coat, holding a patterned handkerchief, his right hand resting on his knee. The rather full face with an equable expression, painted in natural colours, with red lips, black pupils, eyebrows and small beard, and on his head a low, round, gilt-rimmed, black hat with a metal ring in the domed red crown. The long-sleeved coat, purple with blue lining and a blue collar, with a buttoned front and a rank badge; below it, a green robe with clouds above rocks and waves hemmed in black and gold, with a blue apron, a pair of heavy shoes protruding beneath. The whole set on a rectangular plinth imitating veined blue marble.

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.