The Emperor of China's Gardens, the Imperial Palace, Peking
Watercolour
ca. 1796 (painted)
ca. 1796 (painted)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
William Alexander (1767-1816) accompanied the first British embassy to China as a draughtsman. He stayed there from 1792 to 1794. At this time the British knew very little about China, although they had imported artefacts, notably porcelain, for more than a century. Alexander kept a journal of his time there (the manuscript is now in the British Museum) and made many drawings to record the visit.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | The Emperor of China's Gardens, the Imperial Palace, Peking (popular title) |
| Materials and techniques | Watercolour |
| Brief description | William Alexander (1767-1816), 'Emperor of China's Gardens, Imperial Palace, Peking' (Beijing), ca. 1796. |
| Physical description | Watercolour entitled 'Emperor of China's Gardens, Imperial Palace, Peking' (now Beijing). |
| Dimensions |
|
| Style | |
| Credit line | Bequeathed by William Smith |
| Object history | William Alexander accompanied the British Ambassador, Lord Macartney, on his trip to China in 1792 to 1794. On his return to London, Alexander worked up many of his preliminary studies and sketches of Chinese landscapes, buildings and costumes for display at the Royal Academy. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Places depicted | |
| Summary | William Alexander (1767-1816) accompanied the first British embassy to China as a draughtsman. He stayed there from 1792 to 1794. At this time the British knew very little about China, although they had imported artefacts, notably porcelain, for more than a century. Alexander kept a journal of his time there (the manuscript is now in the British Museum) and made many drawings to record the visit. |
| Bibliographic reference | Coombs, Katherine British watercolours : 1750-1950 . London: V&A Publications, 2012
p.41, pl.30 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 2930-1876 |
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| Record created | February 11, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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