Giuseppe Castiglione, Portraits of the Qianlong Emperor and His Twelve Consorts
Severance Fund, 1969.31 · The Cleveland Museum of Art, Open Access (CC0)View original →
Giuseppe Castiglione

Portraits of the Qianlong Emperor and His Twelve Consorts

1736–70s

Current Collection

Cleveland Museum of Art

Cleveland, United States

Medium
Handscroll; ink and color on silk
Dimensions
53.8 × 1154.5 cm
Status
In Museum Collection
Collect24 Art ID
C24-111661

This portrait shows the Qianlong emperor at 26, in the first year of his reign. His likeness is followed by portraits of the empress and eleven consorts. Their portraits document the appearances of the court women around the time when they received their respective imperial titles, which occurred at different stages of the emperor's life. The first three portraits were done by the Jesuit (Roman Catholic) missionary artist Giuseppe Castiglione, whereas the later ones were by Chinese court painters. Formal portraiture contributed to the affirmation of status and construction of role and identit…

Provenance

Severance Fund, 1969.31

Registry history

  • 1736–70s — Recorded in the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art

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