I've always been drawn towards Chinese history and art. There was something so foreign, yet so familiar about it at the same time. I still remember my tenth grade world history class, where we studied chapter after chapter of European history, from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance, from monarchies to revolutions, from religions to philosophies; when we finally arrived at a chapter on Chinese history, I was so excited to learn about the different dynasties and emperors and everything important that happened in one of the world's oldest civilizations, except it was one of the shortest sections in the textbook.
Now don't get me wrong; I would visit the Louvre everyday and live in Versailles or Schonbrunn if I could. But there's something about Chinese history and culture that speaks to me on a different level, even though I was born, raised, and educated in the U.S. (unless you count twelve years of weekly Chinese language classes...that sounds like a lot; I guess it should count).
Anyway, I like to make side visits to the Chinese sections of museums when I can, and I try to make it a point to see any special exhibits, which The Met often has. (Another reason why The Met is my favorite museum, at least in NYC!) Currently The Met is showcasing Masterpieces of Chinese Painting over two rotations, the first of which ended in April, but the second will be on view through October 11. There's a wide range of styles and works from different dynasties, including some pieces from emperors and empresses. I've included a few of my favorite pieces below.
"Biographies of Lian Po and Lin Xiangru" by Huang Tingxian from Northern Song dynasty (920 - 1127)
黃庭堅《廉頗藺相如列傳》
This is a very long handscroll (over 71 feet long!) telling the story of how the king of Qin (秦昭王) offered the king of Zhao (趙惠文)15 cities in exchange for a very valuable jade disk called He Shi Bi (和氏璧). As Qin was stronger, the king of Zhao was concerned that if he sent the jade, they might be cheated and receive no cities in return, yet if they refused, Qin might attack. They ultimately decided to send Lin Xiangru (藺相如) as an envoy with the jade. As predicted, Qin showed no intention of giving the cities to Zhao after receiving the jade, but Lin Xiangru was able to outwit the king of Qin and return the jade back to Zhao.
I was particularly excited to see this scroll and read the story (rather, the portion that was displayed), as I had just finished watching Legend of MiYue (羋月傳), which referenced this exact story! (MiYue was China's first Empress Dowager, and she was also the mother of this particular Qin king.)
"Night-Shining White" by Han Gan, from Tang Dynasty (618-907)
韓幹 《照夜白圖》
This painting by Han Gan, a leading horse painter of the Tang dynasty, is a portrait of one of Emperor Xuanzong's horses. It's been made famous by all the seals and inscriptions added to the painting by later owners (including other emperors of later dynasties).
Frontispiece "Capturing the Deer" written by Emperor Qianlong of Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1912); original painting from either Northern Song (960 - 1127) or Jin (1115 - 1234) dynasties
Now don't get me wrong; I would visit the Louvre everyday and live in Versailles or Schonbrunn if I could. But there's something about Chinese history and culture that speaks to me on a different level, even though I was born, raised, and educated in the U.S. (unless you count twelve years of weekly Chinese language classes...that sounds like a lot; I guess it should count).
Anyway, I like to make side visits to the Chinese sections of museums when I can, and I try to make it a point to see any special exhibits, which The Met often has. (Another reason why The Met is my favorite museum, at least in NYC!) Currently The Met is showcasing Masterpieces of Chinese Painting over two rotations, the first of which ended in April, but the second will be on view through October 11. There's a wide range of styles and works from different dynasties, including some pieces from emperors and empresses. I've included a few of my favorite pieces below.
"Biographies of Lian Po and Lin Xiangru" by Huang Tingxian from Northern Song dynasty (920 - 1127)
黃庭堅《廉頗藺相如列傳》
This is a very long handscroll (over 71 feet long!) telling the story of how the king of Qin (秦昭王) offered the king of Zhao (趙惠文)15 cities in exchange for a very valuable jade disk called He Shi Bi (和氏璧). As Qin was stronger, the king of Zhao was concerned that if he sent the jade, they might be cheated and receive no cities in return, yet if they refused, Qin might attack. They ultimately decided to send Lin Xiangru (藺相如) as an envoy with the jade. As predicted, Qin showed no intention of giving the cities to Zhao after receiving the jade, but Lin Xiangru was able to outwit the king of Qin and return the jade back to Zhao.
I was particularly excited to see this scroll and read the story (rather, the portion that was displayed), as I had just finished watching Legend of MiYue (羋月傳), which referenced this exact story! (MiYue was China's first Empress Dowager, and she was also the mother of this particular Qin king.)
"Night-Shining White" by Han Gan, from Tang Dynasty (618-907)
韓幹 《照夜白圖》
This painting by Han Gan, a leading horse painter of the Tang dynasty, is a portrait of one of Emperor Xuanzong's horses. It's been made famous by all the seals and inscriptions added to the painting by later owners (including other emperors of later dynasties).
Frontispiece "Capturing the Deer" written by Emperor Qianlong of Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1912); original painting from either Northern Song (960 - 1127) or Jin (1115 - 1234) dynasties
Emperor Qianlong (乾隆, reigned 1711 - 1799) is one of my "favorite" emperors. He brought the Qing Dynasty to its height, and there are certainly no shortages of him as a character in many Chinese period dramas today! And he clearly also has beautiful calligraphy.
Scrolls depicting Emperor Kangxi and Emperor Qianlong's Southern Inspection Tours
Emperor Kangxi (康熙), whose reign was the beginning of "High Qing" and prosperity (also Emperor Qianlong's grandfather), is my other favorite Qing dynasty emperor. The two of these emperors were known for their "inspection tours" to different areas of the country. I'm so impressed by the attention to detail on these paintings, which give a bit of insight into daily life of a Chinese city during the 18th century. Here's a zoomed in picture:
No comments:
Post a Comment