A Study of The Portraits of Emperor Qianlong and His Consorts and Its Related Problems
Resource
國立臺灣大學美術史研究集刊, 21, 089-150
Journal
國立臺灣大學美術史研究集刊
Journal Issue
21
Pages
89-150+191
Date Issued
2006-09
Date
2006-09
Author(s)
Abstract
The Portraits of Emperor Qianlong and His Consorts in the Cleveland Museum of Art (also known as the Xinxie zhiping scroll) is an assemblage of thirteen portraits, featuring the Qianlong Emperor (1711-1799; r. 1736-1795) and his twelve beloved consorts. This paper tackles three issues regarding the scroll: 1) the dating and attribution of the portraits, 2) the principle for the selection and the arrangement of the portraits; and 3) the iconographical implications of the portraits, based on stylistic analysis of the painting, biographical studies of the ladies portrayed, and historical documents related to the Emperor’s family life. According to the author, the first ten images were represented with modified Western chiaroscuro techniques by Giuseppe Castiglione (1688-1766) and his assistants as part of a special project in 1761-1765, while the last three figures were painted in traditional Chinese style by another court painter in 1777-1778. However, the portraits in question were reproductions from their original models by the same artists in nine different phases: 1736, 1738, 1741, 1745, 1749, 1751, 1754, 1774, and 1776. The Qianlong Emperor arranged the portraits in their current order and he added all the inscriptions himself. His criteria for selecting these twelve ladies primarily lies in his subjective favor for them, based on his idea of a courtier’s virtues influenced by Confucian didactic values. The iconographical meaning of this scroll is multi-layered. First, it stands as an idealized pictorial record of the Emperor’s family life. Secondly, it reflects the Emperor’s philosophical identification with Confucian teaching, which expects a gentleman, especially a sage-ruler, to accomplish in his life the following virtues: refining oneself, maintaining one’s family in good order, ruling one’s country successfully, and governing the world in peace. Finally, it symbolizes everlasting universal harmony, for which the Emperor had always wished throughout his life.
Subjects
乾隆皇帝
清皇室畫像
《心寫治平圖卷》
《乾隆帝后妃嬪圖卷》
The Qianlong Emperor
Qing imperial portraits
the Xinxie zhiping scroll
The Portraits of Emperor Qianlong and His Consorts
Type
journal article
File(s)![Thumbnail Image]()
Loading...
Name
0021_200609_3.pdf
Size
69.5 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum
(MD5):48daa706e03df573be0c9dd8ae687b02