Pictures of Ancient Playthings
Painting
1729 (Painted)
1729 (Painted)
| Place of origin |
This long handscroll was made for the Yongzheng emperor (reigned 1723–35) as a kind of pictorial inventory of his palace collections. It depicts some 250 ceramics, jade and hardstone carvings, bronzes, root wood and other kinds of curios. In the painting the court artist, or artists, incorporated European techniques of perspective and shading.
Object details
| Object type | |
| Additional title | 清 佚名 古玩圖 (published title) |
| Materials and techniques | Ink and colour on paper. The discs on the roller ends is ivory dyed green. |
| Brief description | Gu Wan Tu 古玩圖 (Pictures of Ancient Playthings), handscroll, ink and colours on paper, China, Qing, 1729 |
| Physical description | This handscroll depicts ceramics, jades, bronze vessels and curios in other media owned by the Qing Yongzheng Emperor (r.1723-35). The objects are painted in ink and colours on paper in a realistic style, suspended against an unpainted backdrop. The roller ends are made of ivory that has been dyed green. The scroll's title slip is written in clear regular script. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Object history | Purchased from Capt. J.S. Rivett-Carnac, accessioned in 1911. This acquisition information reflects that found in the Asia Department registers, as part of a 2022 provenance research project. Purchased from Capt. J.S. Rivett-Carnac, 1911 |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | This long handscroll was made for the Yongzheng emperor (reigned 1723–35) as a kind of pictorial inventory of his palace collections. It depicts some 250 ceramics, jade and hardstone carvings, bronzes, root wood and other kinds of curios. In the painting the court artist, or artists, incorporated European techniques of perspective and shading. |
| Bibliographic references |
|
| Collection | |
| Accession number | E.59-1911 |
About this object record
Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest Feedback
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest Feedback
| Record created | December 20, 2005 |
| Record URL |
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest