Peonies
Painting
1906-1908 (made)
1906-1908 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This large-scale hanging scroll of highly coloured peony blossoms was commissioned by Dowager Empress Cixi 慈禧 (1935-1908), and was probably painted by Miao Jiahui 繆嘉蕙, one of Cixi's lady-painters in service in the Good Fortune and Prosperity Hall of the Forbidden City. Cixi was the mother of Emperor Tongzhi 同治 (reigned 1862-1874) and aunt of Emperor Guangxu 光緒 (reigned 1875-1908). She effectively ruled China for much of the late 19th century.
After the riots of the anti-foreign Boxer Rebellion in 1900, Cixi made great efforts to amend China's diplomat relationships with the Western nations by entertaining the diplomats and their wives, missionaries and other foreign guests in the Forbidden City. The painting, with Cixi's seal affixed on the top, was given to Frau Olga Julia Wegener, the wife of a German diplomat who served in China from 1906 to 1908.
After the riots of the anti-foreign Boxer Rebellion in 1900, Cixi made great efforts to amend China's diplomat relationships with the Western nations by entertaining the diplomats and their wives, missionaries and other foreign guests in the Forbidden City. The painting, with Cixi's seal affixed on the top, was given to Frau Olga Julia Wegener, the wife of a German diplomat who served in China from 1906 to 1908.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Peonies (trade title) |
| Materials and techniques | Ink and colour on silk |
| Brief description | Peonies, attributed to Miao Jiahui (active late 19th-early 20th century), early 20th century, hanging scroll, ink and colours on silk. |
| Physical description | Hanging scroll of highly-coloured peony blossoms, in ink and colours on silk. The flowers and stems are depicted with minimal use of outline, a technique referred to as 'boneless' (mogu 沒骨) in Chinese. A prominent seal of Dowager Empress Cixi is placed at the centre of the upper register of the painting. A rectangle of paper called a shitang 詩堂 (poetry hall) has been mounted above the silk surface of the painting. This area of paper was intended as a site for calligraphic inscription, but was never filled. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Marks and inscriptions | 慈禧皇太后之寶 (Seal)
|
| Credit line | Wegener Gift |
| Object history | Given by Mrs. Olga Julia Wegener, accessioned in 1909. This acquisition information reflects that found in the Asia Department registers, as part of a 2022 provenance research project. This painting was a gift from Empress Dowager Cixi to Olga Julia Wegener, wife of a German diplomat in Beijing. It was then given by Lady Wegener to the museum in 199 as a token of gratitude. |
| Historical context | In a letter to museum dated to 16 July 1909, Mrs Wegener wrote: "I beg herewith to send you a picture for the V.A.M. as a slight token of my gratitude for the manifold interest which has been aroused in me by your wonderful museum and for the help which I have received here from many quaters, in my studies. This picture is by the late Dowager Empress of China, Yehonala, and bears her seal." (English tr.) |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Association | |
| Summary | This large-scale hanging scroll of highly coloured peony blossoms was commissioned by Dowager Empress Cixi 慈禧 (1935-1908), and was probably painted by Miao Jiahui 繆嘉蕙, one of Cixi's lady-painters in service in the Good Fortune and Prosperity Hall of the Forbidden City. Cixi was the mother of Emperor Tongzhi 同治 (reigned 1862-1874) and aunt of Emperor Guangxu 光緒 (reigned 1875-1908). She effectively ruled China for much of the late 19th century. After the riots of the anti-foreign Boxer Rebellion in 1900, Cixi made great efforts to amend China's diplomat relationships with the Western nations by entertaining the diplomats and their wives, missionaries and other foreign guests in the Forbidden City. The painting, with Cixi's seal affixed on the top, was given to Frau Olga Julia Wegener, the wife of a German diplomat who served in China from 1906 to 1908. |
| Bibliographic reference | Rose Kerr, Chinese Art and Design: The T.T. Tsui Gallery of Chinese Art, The V&A Publications, 1991
|
| Collection | |
| Accession number | E.2505-1909 |
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| Record created | June 8, 2000 |
| Record URL |
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