The Function of the Informal Portraits of the Qing Emperors

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Han Chinese. Instead, the imperial family were the descendants Nomadic Tribal peoples of the open plains that lay to the North of the Great Wall, which ran along the traditional boundary of the Chinese empire. Moreover, although the emperors were sensitive to anything that might be construed as a criticism of themselves as barbarians, they were proud of their non-Han heritage. 18th-century emperors made significant efforts to preserve the distinctive Manchu customs of their people and in their rule over some of the non-Han peoples of their empire, especially the Tibetans and Mongolians, they portrayed themselves as the rulers of a Manchu empire that acted impartially towards its different subjects.

The Qing emperors portrayed themselves as the Monarch of a Manchu empire that acted impartially towards its Tibetan, Mongolian and Han subjects. Manchu, Tibetan, Mongolian and Uyghur were all used for administrative purposes within the empire even though the central administration was, by the 18th century, conducted primarily in Chinese. One of the most visible forms in which the emperors expressed their commitment to a model of the universal empire was the erection of stone steles inscribed in all five languages.

During the first two decades of the Kangxi reign, there was again little time for collecting calligraphy and painting despite the young emperor’s interest in calligraphy. The Kangxi emperor sought to engage the Chinese cultural world, and the palace collection of calligraphy and painting began to grow through his patronage of the arts. Painters along with other artisans had studios in the Ruyiguan workshop of the Qixiang Gong Palace. Official portraits for ritual uses as well as informal portraits and depictions of life in the palaces were executed by these anonymous artists. However, were important in shaping the landscape painting and bird and flower painting of the later Kangxi reign.

These types of painting favoured by the educated Chinese elite, into the Palace and made it a part of court painting. The Kangxi emperor is known to have inscribed works by Jiang Tingxi. The emperor also inscribed works by the Manchu painter Heyi and by Gao Qipei (1660-1734), works which also entered the Palace collection.

The greatest painting project of the Kangxi Court was initiated after the Kangxi emperor began making inspection tours to the South. He made a total of six tours during his reign, beginning in 1684, these grand gestures were intended to display the power of the Manchus to the Southern populace.

Through this project, the Kangxi emperor literally tools pictorial possession of the heartland of Chinese culture. The emperor was not actively collecting antique works of calligraphy and painting; he could still command the historical texts relating to them. This work in one hundred fascicles was completed in 1708 and remains an important reference source to this day. The literary project was perhaps closer to the Kangxi emperor’s heart than his patronage of painters or his collecting activities. In an informal portrait painted by a court artist, Kangxi had himself portrayed in the role of a scholar surrounded by books rather than by paintings or objects. The books are depicted using Western perspective, demonstrating the influence of Kangxi’s broad intellectual curiosity on the work of courts artists. (p.19)

The Qing dynasty (1644-1911) gave rise to two emperors who were extremely interested in Chinese Culture. After their consolidation of control over the whole of China, the Qing court became nominated to the collection of all Chinese treasures including bronze vessels, the stone of objects, paintings and calligraphy, Kesi embroidery and albums and rubbings.

This great enterprise was established by two emperors, Kangxi and Qianlong. Both were extremely drawn to Han culture and understood the importance of sinicization criterion was the ability to write Chinese characters and to practice calligraphy and painting. The Kangxi emperor, Huanye (v. 1662-1722), was immersed in Han culture since childhood and had a strong interest in painting and calligraphy. (p. 55-56)

Aesthetically, he was greatly influenced by Dong Qichang (1555-1636) at the late Ming dynasty, who once theorised that calligraphy and painting are of great importance, the former conveys ideas, the latter conveys images, and there is nothing greater than the application of both. (56)

Not only did Kangxi himself indefatigably follow Dongs calligraphy and painting in all aspects, but as a result. There were no ministries in his court who did not hasten to emulate him.

Fig. Portrait of the Kangxi Emperor in Informal Dress Holding a Brush, Qing dynasty, Kangxi period (1662-1722). Hanging Scroll. Colour on Silk. Original texts taken from the Last Emperors Collection, p.55

During the Kangxi emperors city one year reign, the Qing imperial court had accumulated a considerable number of important paintings and model calligraphy, mostly contributed by ministers and officials.

Practically all existing important works of painting and model calligraphy by the Qing imperial court was accomplished during the sixty-year reign of Hongli (the Qianlong emperor, (r. 1736-95). Not only did Hongli himself practice calligraphy, painting and poetic composition as a daily lessons, but his enthusiasm for calligraphy and poetry led him to the habit of having his ministries, at all kinds of banquets and gatherings, join him in the game of improvising poems, some of which were permanently carved onto the stone clasps used to tie up slipcases. His enthusiasm even encouraged some of his close court officials to become calligraphers, for example, Zhang Zhao and Liang Shizheng as well as his eleventh son, Yongxin who eventually became an influential Qing calligrapher.

By the time of Qianlong administration, the Qing dynasty had already gone through a period of nearly a hundred years of peace. Since the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, the important paintings and model calligraphy dispersed in the chaos of war had been sought out by collectors among the populace and gradually came to be concentrated in the hands of a few very wealthy families. (56)

These works of painting and calligraphy have gone though incredibly rough circumstances, beyond their scattering and reassembling during the military conflagration accompanying the frequent rise and collapse of dynasties they have suffered a deal of calamities, both intentional and unpredictable. (58)

The Qing dynasty saw the ultimate amassing of paintings and calligraphy from all periods in a court collection. Unprecedented attention was also paid to the writing of books and compiling of reference materials on the subject of painting and calligraphy. The first project was the compilation