The Emperor Qianlong in his
study (Before 1767)
Artist: attributed to Giuseppe Castiglione (1688-1766) and
Jin Tingbiao (active at Court 1757-1767)
Ink on paper
100.2 x 63 cm.
Height: 3’ 8 ¾”; Width: 8’
Splendors of China’s
Forbidden City: The Glorious Reign
of Emperor Qianlong
Splendors of China’s Forbidden City
is devoted to the long reign of Emperor Qianlong (1736-1795). The
exhibition concentrates on Qianlong’s 18th-century period, the last
grand era of the Chinese empire. During his long reign, Emperor
Qianlong became the epitome of a great Chinese ruler, at once
all-powerful and civilized. The Chinese empire reached its largest
geographic spread under his rule, while life in China was both peaceful
and prosperous. The exhibition investigates how Qianlong achieved this
magnificent level. Politically adept, he recognized and supported all
facets of Chinese civilization. Although he was a Manchu and remained
proud of his nomad forebears, he cultivated the Han Chinese, who formed
the majority of the Chinese people. Like his predecessors, the Kangxi
and Yongzheng emperors, Qianlong carried out a balancing act between
his Manchu heritage and the culture of Han China, which the Manchu Qing
dynasty had conquered. (continued from the Curator’s essay: about the
exhibit and the art we will continue to see here:)
To fully explore the ways in which the
emperor’s various roles, interests and his careful balancing of power
were expressed in the artworks of his time, the exhibition curators
have laid out the exhibition in five themes that unfold as the visitor
moves from room to room. The grouped works display the immense range of
cultural activities over which Qianlong presided. Since it is based on
the vast collections of the Palace Museum in the Forbidden City, there
is a very rich selection of imperial objects. The Dallas Museum of Art
has chosen to display this exhibition as a series of fine art works.
Although the layout generally follows the themes of the exhibition as
planned by the Palace Museum and the Field Museum, the flow of works in
the sections has been slightly changed to highlight significant works
for individual contemplation and appreciation. The rooms devoted to the
exhibition are large and space is given to major works, and a palette
of light, bright colors is used in the exhibition rooms, to echo the
light, color and grandeur of the Forbidden City. (note: we have limited
access to the exhibit — online resources only)
Opening the first section on symbols of imperial power is “Ten
Thousand Envoys Come to Pay Tribute,” a 126 3/4-inch-by-43 3/8-inch
painting by an anonymous artist. The work offers a bird’s eye view of
the southern gate of the Forbidden City and the Hall of Supreme
Harmony. The panoramic sweep of the painting dwarfs the human figures
of tribute-bringers, palace eunuchs and officials. The palace, which
appears in detailed grandeur in the foreground, but dims in the misty
distance, is presented as both the symbol and the setting of power. The
tribute-bringers include Europeans and different types of Asians,
including a group of Thai emissaries on elephants, to emphasize the
universal rule of the Chinese monarch. The combination of realistic
narrative of a politically significant event combined with more
traditional Chinese ways of depicting the imperial palace reflects the
way monumental painting developed in the Qianlong period.
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