‘Worshiping the Ancestors’: A Must See If you haven’t gone to view it yet, you still have until Sept. 9 to visit "Worshiping the Ancestors: Chinese Commemorative Portraits," at the Smithsonian’s Arthur M. Sackler Gallery on the National Mall. These exquisite portraits, 38 of them portraying members of the Manchu Qing Dynasty—China’s last great ruling clan—have the pull of a mirror. Their effect is hypnotic, creating a sensation of stepping into the past. The portraits were not necessarily created to be works of art, but rather are examples of Chinese ancestor worship—a cornerstone of Chinese culture that is still practiced today. To the adherents of ancestor worship, the influence of mothers, fathers, and grandparents, is present, if not palpable, after death. Their spirits offer blessings of health, luck and prosperity for those who followed. The portraits, by anonymous artists, are remarkable as works of art, poignant as a record of human individuality and endlessly fascinating as a way of looking into the past, and into the intricacies of another way of life. In terms of art and color, the portraits are stunning. The collection includes likenesses of the Ming Emperor Hongzhi dating back to the 16th century and a portrait of the Qianlong emperor posing as the Bodhisattva of Wisdom, from the mid-1700s. All of the portraits are rendered in somewhat similar styles: The subjects are squarely facing outward, the view is flat, the size is nearly life-like, and the dress is splendid and formal. But what is truly amazing is the variety that exists in spite of the limitations of the style. The subjects seem alive, their faces imparting wisdom and unknown experience. —Gary Tischler