The Twenty Views of the European Palaces of the Yuanming Yuan
Print
1783-1786 (made)
1783-1786 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The European Pavilions (Xiyanglou) located in the Yuanming Yuan, or Summer Palace, in Beijing were the grandest expressions of the Qing rulers' interest in the arts of Europe. Most of the buildings were completed between 1756 to 1766. In 1783, the Qianlong emperor commissioned a set of copperplate engravings depicting twenty views of the European Pavilions and these was printed by 1786. Copies were kept in the palace and an additional 200 sets were given to imperial relatives, high officials, and other guests. The album in the V&A would have been one of the 200 sets. It is missing the first image - the south view of the Xieqiqu (Pavilion Harmonizing Surprise and Delight). The prints were designed and probably produced by a Manchu court artist Yi Lantai (fl. 1749-86) who was trained by Giuseppe Castiglione (1688-1766), the Italian Jesuit artist who worked at the Qing court. This album provides an important visual record of the European Pavilions of the Yuanming Yuan that was destroyed by English and French troops in 1860 during the Second Opium War.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Title | The Twenty Views of the European Palaces of the Yuanming Yuan (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | copperplate engraving on paper |
| Brief description | Album, 19 views of the European Palaces of the Yuanming Yuan, copperplate engraving on paper, China, Qing dynasty, Qianlong period, 1783-1786 |
| Physical description | Engraving on paper, mounted in album, depicting the front view of the Yuanyingguan (Observatory of Distant Oceans). Inscription on top right. Seals in red on the border. |
| Dimensions |
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| Styles | |
| Marks and inscriptions |
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| Object history | In 1783, the Qianlong emperor commissioned a set of copperplate engravings depicting twenty views of the European pavilions in the Yuanming Yuan (Summer Palace). Copies of the engravings were kept in the palace, and an additional 200 sets were given to imperial relatives, high officials, and other guests. This album, which is missing the first scene, would have been one of the 200 sets. The seal marks on the album suggest that it was in China but not in the Yuanming Yuan in 1860 when the palace was plundered and destroyed by British and French troops. Museum acquisition records state that the album, described as 'Chinese engravings. Nineteen views of palaces and gardens, folio-folded plates', was purchased from the dealer E Parsons on 2 February 1883, but there is no information on how the album came to be in Britain. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | The European Pavilions (Xiyanglou) located in the Yuanming Yuan, or Summer Palace, in Beijing were the grandest expressions of the Qing rulers' interest in the arts of Europe. Most of the buildings were completed between 1756 to 1766. In 1783, the Qianlong emperor commissioned a set of copperplate engravings depicting twenty views of the European Pavilions and these was printed by 1786. Copies were kept in the palace and an additional 200 sets were given to imperial relatives, high officials, and other guests. The album in the V&A would have been one of the 200 sets. It is missing the first image - the south view of the Xieqiqu (Pavilion Harmonizing Surprise and Delight). The prints were designed and probably produced by a Manchu court artist Yi Lantai (fl. 1749-86) who was trained by Giuseppe Castiglione (1688-1766), the Italian Jesuit artist who worked at the Qing court. This album provides an important visual record of the European Pavilions of the Yuanming Yuan that was destroyed by English and French troops in 1860 during the Second Opium War. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 29452:13 |
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| Record created | June 25, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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