Introduction
The painting under consideration is known as “Portrait of Kangxi Emperor in Court Dress”. The artist of the painting is anonymous. However, historians agree that the artist should be the representative of the Qing Dynasty Court Painters. The painting belongs to the Late Kangxi period (17-18th centuries). “Portrait of Kangxi Emperor in Court Dress” is depicted with the help of color on silk on a hanging scroll.
Main text
The artwork was introduced at the exhibition “The Three Emperors,” which took place in London in 2005. Currently, it is located in Palace Museum in Beijing. Two other paintings from the exhibition are the portraits of two other great emperors of China. Yongzheng, Kangxi, and Qianlong are well-known as the most influential and powerful China rulers from the last dynasty — the Qing. Every emperor was aimed at glorifying his reign. That is why the greatest artists were asked to create remarkable portraits.
The subject matter of the artwork can be understood from two perspectives. First of all, Kangxi wanted to immortalize himself. Thus, the following artwork represents a realistic depiction of that period through the portrait of the ruler. Secondly, “Portrait of Kangxi Emperor in Court Dress” has a symbolic meaning. Almost every detail in the picture is used to describe the power, wisdom, and majesty of the emperor (“Qing art” par.1).
Kangxi Emperor belonged to the Qing Dynasty. Manchu Dynasty is the other name for Qing (Burbank and Cooper 212). The territories of China were expanded during the reign of the Qing Dynasty, and its representatives became a significant part of the Chinese culture (Bushel 16). Kangxi was the first of great rulers. He is pictured as a wise old man with a wrinkled face and gaunt body. He was the one, who wrote in red, while all others wrote in black. It was Kangxi, who managed to control the revolt of the “Three Feudatoris”; he also embedded Confucian principles into the culture, and made China a prosperous land (Patten 1).
Kangxi was regarded as a brilliant ruler. He was intelligent, hardworking, curious, and eager for hunting, keen on reading historical and philosophical writings. It is worthwhile mentioning that he became emperor at the age of eight. When Kangxi became an adult, he dedicated his life to political and cultural affairs. He was known for spending all days writing responses, meetings with officials, and inspecting everything connected with the empire (Tanner 40).
“Portrait of Kangxi Emperor in Court Dress” is a formal ritual portrait of Kangxi, who is sitting on a dragon throne wearing ceremonial robes. These robes have a symbolic meaning. Their color and shape convey the meaning of a long-lasting life. They also exemplify the fact that the Emperor is the most significant personality in the court, and has immense, divine power. Kangxi’s portrait is regarded as a hieratic one. After his death, the picture was hung in the hall of the imperial family according to the tradition (Rawski and Rawson 43).
Conclusion
“Portrait of Kangxi Emperor in Court Dress” is of great significance even nowadays, because it is an example of the fascinating past. Every depicted detail is a kind of hint that helps humanity to understand what happened long ago and how it influenced modern life. This painting is an important part of Chinese heritage and its aim is not to let people forget about the grandeur of the past and be aware of who and how altered the development of their native land and nationality.
Works Cited
Burbank, Jane, and Frederick Cooper. Empires in World History: Power and the Politics of Difference. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2011. Print.
Bushel, Stephen W. Chinese Art. New York: Parkstone International, 2012. Print.
Qing art 2006. Web.
Patten, Chris. “Sons of Heaven.” The Guardian 2005. Web.
Rawski, Evelyn, and Jessica Rawson. China: The Three Emperors, 1662-1795. London: Royal Academy of Arts, 2005. Print.
Tanner, Harold Miles. China: From the Great Qing Empire through the People’s Republic of China 1644-2009. Indiana: Hackett Publishing, 2010. Print.