The Emperor's Private Paradise: Treasures from the Forbidden City
By STAN PARCHIN
August 9, 2010
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| Chinese, Qing Dynasty (1736-1796). Juanquin Theater Room Stage, Palace Museum. Photograph courtesy of World Monuments Fund and Palace Museum. |
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| Chinese, Qing Dynasty (1736-1796). Hanging Panel with Niches. Zitan, painted and gilt clay and colors on silk. H. 166.4 cm (65.5 in.); W. 92.7 cm (36.5 in.); D. 3.8 cm (1.5 in.). Photograph courtesy of Palace Museum. |
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| Chinese, Qing Dynasty (1736-1796). Throne. Zitan, bamboo, jade, semiprecious stones and lacquer. H. 97.8 cm (38.5 in.); W. 117.5 cm (46.25 in.); D. 83.8 cm (33 in.). Photograph courtesy of Palace Museum. |
The Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts is the first venue to host The Emperor's Private Paradise: Treasures from the Forbidden City (September 14, 2010-January 9, 2011). Ninety paintings, murals, jades, examples of cloisonné, pieces of furniture, architectural works and garden components, commissioned by 18th-century China's Qianlong emperor (r. 1736-1796) for ceremony and leisure, are touring the United States while the Palace Museum and New York's World Monuments Fund (WMF) continue their conservation efforts at the imperial complex in Beijing. The special exhibition includes a film, interactive features that describe the Palace Museum and WMF's on-going collaboration, a computerized walk-through of the Juanqinzhai building and a touch station devoted to calligraphy.
The Qianlong Emperor and Art
China's Qianlong emperor rivaled Western Europe's absolutist monarchs in terms of his court's splendor and sophistication. He was a superior administrator, aggressive military conqueror and passionate patron of the arts. The progressive ruler transformed his nation's aesthetic by incorporating classic Chinese design elements and concepts from European painting into everyday objects, architecture and landscape.
The installation's beautifully crafted works demonstrate the emperor's commitment to Buddhist spirituality and Confucian morals as well as his love of literature and reverence for nature. Among the show's highlights are: a hanging silk Buddhist shrine with painted three-dimensional figures; a magnificent throne; an impressive jade-and-lacquer screen of 16 luohan, the Buddha's enlightened quasi-legendary disciples; a rare trompe-l'oeil mural painting of women and children in a palace hall that blends European and Chinese artistic traditions; examples of the emperor's refined calligraphy; and exquisite panels, some carved in semiprecious gems and others rendered in brilliantly colored cloisonné.
Conservation of the Qianlong Garden
Constructed in anticipation of the emperor's retirement, the Qianlong Garden remained untouched for more than 230 years. The Palace Museum and WMF began the restoration of the complex's 27 buildings, pavilions, outdoor structures, Buddhist shrines, gazebos, sitting rooms, libraries, theaters and gardens in 2001. It is scheduled to open to the public in 2019.
After its appearance at the Peabody Essex Museum, "The Emperor's Private Paradise: Treasures from the Forbidden City" travels to The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Milwaukee Art Museum.