Page 64 - A Re-examination of Late Qing Dynasty Porcelain, 1850-1920 THESIS

45
view an image of the current ruler, because any imperial image was considered sacred.
Cixi therefore used the portrait to make a powerful statement about her authority to an

extremely wide audience. According to court official Pulun (1874–1927), the portrait

46
was meant to be both viewed and venerated while on display. This differs from

Chinese paintings of the empress dowager such as An Imperial Portrait of Empress

47
Dowager Cixi as Guanyin, which is attributed to Qu Zhaolin (Figure 6). In this

representation of Cixi, she sits in a tradition Chinese landscape. The scenery has limited

dimensionality but is filled with auspicious symbols like butterflies, lingzhi 靈芝, and

peaches. These motifs surround the seated Cixi, who is wearing regal blue robes with an

elaborate headpiece. This Eastern representation has a similar essence to that of Carl’s

portrait, since both represent Cixi as a powerful ruler. Scholars have categorized

numerous portraits of Cixi as representations of Guanyin 觀音, a Buddhist bodhisattva

48
that emphasizes compassion. The connection between Cixi and Guanyin would not

have been readily noted in the Western world; though, it would have been evident to

49
individuals who were familiar with Buddhism. While no textual evidence exists

connecting Carl’s portrait to a representation of Guanyin, the similarities between the two

figures cannot be ignored. Cixi’s portrait established herself as a religious icon within

China.

45 Daisy Yiyou Wang, “Empresses of China’s Forbidden City: New Perspectives on Qing
Imperial Women,” Orientations 49, no. 6 (December 2018), 44.
46 Wang, 41.
47 Yuhang Li, “Painting Empress Dowager Cixi as Guanyin for Missionaries’ Eyes,” Orientations
49, no. 6 (December 2018), 59.
48 Li, 50.
49 Qianlong had also been portrayed in painting as a Buddhist figure. Portraits of the emperor
reflect him as the bodhisattva Manjusri. For further information, see Sherry Harlacher
Montgomery, “Qianlong as Manjusri-Emperor: Portraits of Early Modern Statebuilding” (MA
Thesis, Arizona State University, 2003).
25