Watercolor painted on silk and mounted on paper. Depicted is the Emperor Shen Tzong (r. ), according to intern, Tzu-an Chang. The watercolor is painted on a yellowed silk. An outlining technique is used to create a simple line drawing showing the emperor's face and shoulders (a bust portrait). Black outline is used for the hat and clothing. Gray/brown outline is used for the face. A horizontal brown line divides the painting roughly into two equal halves. This line may possibly represent the back of a chair, a wall molding, or the top of a wall. The emperor wears a simple brown hat, and a yellow robe with green collar and belt. A bit of white collar from an undergarment is also visible. The emperor has white eybrows, moustache, and thin beard. Two lines of calligraphy are in the upper left corner. Two chops are stamped in red in the lower right corner. The painting is bordered with an approximately one-inch wide strip of dark blue damask fabric on each side and is entirely backed with an off white paper. A thin brown paper border trims the outermost edge of each side and appears in a wider border on the back of the painting (adhered to the paper backing). Folds in the paper have led to some wrinkling of the fabric on the front of the painting. It would appear that eventual cracking of the paper is inevitable, possibly leading to tears in the fabric.

1997.052.024