The portrait was said to have been done while Koxinga was still alive in Tainan (臺南) and to have been commissioned by Koxinga himself. After Zheng Keshuang (鄭克塽, 1670-1717, Koxinga's grandson) surrendered to the Qing dynasty, Zheng Zhang (鄭長, Koxinga's cousin) took this painting to Houshanbei (後山陂) in Taipei for safekeeping. In 1911, the painting was passed down to Zheng Weilong (鄭維隆, Zheng Zhang's fifth-generation descendant), while Taiwan was under Japanese rule. Governor-General Sakuma (佐久間) suggested that the painting be sent to the then Taiwan Shinto Shrine (臺灣神社), which was later changed to the Koxinga Shrine (延平郡王祠). After the restoration of Taiwan to Chinese rule in 1945, the painting was transferred to the Taiwan Provincial Museum, which is now the National Taiwan Museum.
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The painting is thought to be made when Koxinga (1624-1662) was alive in Tainan, thus making it likely the earliest extant painting of the man himself.