Explanatory text about the summer court robe worn by the Emperor
Illustrated Manuscript
1736-1795 (made)
1736-1795 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
"The Illustrated Regulations for Ceremonial Paraphernalia of the Present Dynasty" is an illustrated manuscript commissioned by the Qianlong Emperor (r.1736-1795). The main body of the commission began in 1750 and was completed in 1759. It was a conclusion of the Emperor's decade long efforts to regulate the ritual codes and procedures as a means of ruling since his enthronement, and serves as a record of the Emperor's passion for a rigid ritualised life.
As one of the major imperial commissions the book is of monumental scale and collaborative in nature. As many as twenty-seven court painters and calligraphers were working on the commission under five editors-in-chief, Yilu (1695-1767), Jiang Pu (1708-1761), Wang Youdun (1692-1758), Guanbao (?-1776) and He Guozong (?-1766). After editing and further expansion in the ensuing years, the manuscript was printed by the Palace Publications Office in the Wuying Palace in 1766, and it was finally included as part of the Four Treasures imperial library project in 1773. For that purpose seven copies were produced and stored in libraries across the empire. The book consists of six parts - ceremonial vessels, scientific equipments, dress, musical instruments, insignia, and weaponry, containing more than 1300 leaves of illustrations and explanatory texts.
The museum's collection of the manuscript is incomplete. All its leaves, together with those in the British Library, in the National Museums of Scotland and in the National Museum of Ireland, may have been part of the version kept in the Wenyuan Pavilion library in the Yuanming yuan Summer Palace, Beijing.
The current two pages bear an explanatory text about the materials and the use of the summer court robe. The text may be translated as follows: “The Summer Court Robes worn by the Emperor. Note respectfully: According to the regulation of the present Dynasty, on the 15th or the 25th of the 3rd month the Emperor puts on summer garments. The colour of the Robes is bright yellow. But at the summer sacrifice for rain it is blue, and at the sacrifice of the evening moon, moon-white. The collars and cuffs are dark blue, with a strip of gold at the hems. They are made of satin gauze and are not lined, having regard to the season. In all other respects they are identical with the Winter Court Robes.”
As one of the major imperial commissions the book is of monumental scale and collaborative in nature. As many as twenty-seven court painters and calligraphers were working on the commission under five editors-in-chief, Yilu (1695-1767), Jiang Pu (1708-1761), Wang Youdun (1692-1758), Guanbao (?-1776) and He Guozong (?-1766). After editing and further expansion in the ensuing years, the manuscript was printed by the Palace Publications Office in the Wuying Palace in 1766, and it was finally included as part of the Four Treasures imperial library project in 1773. For that purpose seven copies were produced and stored in libraries across the empire. The book consists of six parts - ceremonial vessels, scientific equipments, dress, musical instruments, insignia, and weaponry, containing more than 1300 leaves of illustrations and explanatory texts.
The museum's collection of the manuscript is incomplete. All its leaves, together with those in the British Library, in the National Museums of Scotland and in the National Museum of Ireland, may have been part of the version kept in the Wenyuan Pavilion library in the Yuanming yuan Summer Palace, Beijing.
The current two pages bear an explanatory text about the materials and the use of the summer court robe. The text may be translated as follows: “The Summer Court Robes worn by the Emperor. Note respectfully: According to the regulation of the present Dynasty, on the 15th or the 25th of the 3rd month the Emperor puts on summer garments. The colour of the Robes is bright yellow. But at the summer sacrifice for rain it is blue, and at the sacrifice of the evening moon, moon-white. The collars and cuffs are dark blue, with a strip of gold at the hems. They are made of satin gauze and are not lined, having regard to the season. In all other respects they are identical with the Winter Court Robes.”
Object details
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| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 2 parts.
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| Title | Explanatory text about the summer court robe worn by the Emperor (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Ink on silk |
| Brief description | Page of the illustrated manuscript "The Illustrated Regulations for Ceremonial Paraphernalia of the Present Dynasty." It bears an explanatory text about the Emperor's summer court robe. |
| Physical description | Two pages of "The Illustrated Regulations for Ceremonial Paraphernalia of the Present Dynasty", an illustrated manuscript commissioned by the Qianlong Emperor (r.1736-1795). The book consists of six parts - ceremonial vessels, scientific equipments, dress, musical instruments, insignia, and weaponry, containing more than 1300 leaves of illustrations and explanatory texts. They bear an explanatory text about the summer court robe worn by the Emperor. The text is arranged in ten columns. |
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| Marks and inscriptions |
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| Object history | Purchased from Walter H Harris and accessioned in 1896. This acquisition information reflects that found in the Asia Department registers, as part of a 2022 provenance research project. A letter from Mr Harris in the V&A archive files states that the leaves were 'taken from the Summer Palace in Pekin' a reference to the Yuanming yuan, the imperial summer retreat located north of Beijing, which was plundered and destroyed by British and French troops during the Second Opium War in 1860. There is no further information in the file as to how Mr Harris acquired the leaves. The main body of the manuscript commission began in 1750 and it was completed in 1759. As many as twenty-seven court painters and calligraphers were working on the commission under five editors-in-chief, Yilu (1695-1767), Jiang Pu (178-1761), Wang Youdun (1692-1758), Guanbao (?-1776) and He Guozong (?-1766). After editing and further expansion in the ensuing years, the manuscript was printed by the Palace Publications Office in the Wuying Palace in 1766, and it was finally included as part of the Four Treasures imperial library project in 1773. For that purpose seven versions in total were produced and stored in libraries across the empire. The museum's collection of the manuscript is incomplete. All its leaves, together with those in the British Library, in the National Museums of Scotland and in the National Museum of Ireland, may have been part of the version kept in the Wenyuan Pavilion library in the Yuanming Yuan (Summer Palace), Beijing. These pages belong to the first of four groups of leaves from the manuscript acquired by the museum. |
| Production | Reason For Production: Commission |
| Summary | "The Illustrated Regulations for Ceremonial Paraphernalia of the Present Dynasty" is an illustrated manuscript commissioned by the Qianlong Emperor (r.1736-1795). The main body of the commission began in 1750 and was completed in 1759. It was a conclusion of the Emperor's decade long efforts to regulate the ritual codes and procedures as a means of ruling since his enthronement, and serves as a record of the Emperor's passion for a rigid ritualised life. As one of the major imperial commissions the book is of monumental scale and collaborative in nature. As many as twenty-seven court painters and calligraphers were working on the commission under five editors-in-chief, Yilu (1695-1767), Jiang Pu (1708-1761), Wang Youdun (1692-1758), Guanbao (?-1776) and He Guozong (?-1766). After editing and further expansion in the ensuing years, the manuscript was printed by the Palace Publications Office in the Wuying Palace in 1766, and it was finally included as part of the Four Treasures imperial library project in 1773. For that purpose seven copies were produced and stored in libraries across the empire. The book consists of six parts - ceremonial vessels, scientific equipments, dress, musical instruments, insignia, and weaponry, containing more than 1300 leaves of illustrations and explanatory texts. The museum's collection of the manuscript is incomplete. All its leaves, together with those in the British Library, in the National Museums of Scotland and in the National Museum of Ireland, may have been part of the version kept in the Wenyuan Pavilion library in the Yuanming yuan Summer Palace, Beijing. The current two pages bear an explanatory text about the materials and the use of the summer court robe. The text may be translated as follows: “The Summer Court Robes worn by the Emperor. Note respectfully: According to the regulation of the present Dynasty, on the 15th or the 25th of the 3rd month the Emperor puts on summer garments. The colour of the Robes is bright yellow. But at the summer sacrifice for rain it is blue, and at the sacrifice of the evening moon, moon-white. The collars and cuffs are dark blue, with a strip of gold at the hems. They are made of satin gauze and are not lined, having regard to the season. In all other respects they are identical with the Winter Court Robes.” |
| Bibliographic reference | Medley, Margret. "'The Illustrated Regulations for Ceremonial Paraphernalia of the Ch'ing Dynasty' in the Victoria and Albert Museum." in Transactionsof the Oriental Ceramic Society, vol.31, 1957/59, pp.95-105.
Liu, Lu. "An Illustrated Manual for Regulating the Qing Society: A Discussion of Several Issues Relating to 'Huangchao liqi tushi'." in Palace Museum Journal (Beijing), no.4. 2004, pp.130-44. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 826&A-1896 |
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| Record created | February 7, 2005 |
| Record URL |
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