Page 92 - Sothebys HK Dragon Emperor April 2024

AN ALBUM WITH A PORTRAIT OF THE EMPEROR
BY CASTIGLIONE

Opened with an imperial portrait of the Qianlong Emperor Designed for private enjoyment instead of public display,
by the greatest Jesuit artist in Chinese history, Giuseppe imperial portraits of the Qianlong Emperor of this small size
Castiglione (Lang Shining), followed by court paintings in are extremely rare, and this is possibly the only example
the hands of his most acclaimed contemporaries, namely remaining in private hands. Similar portraits in roundels
Dong Bangda, Zou Yigui, Qian Weicheng and Ding Guanpeng, can be found in the Qing court manuscript version of the
this important album exemplifies the pinnacle of Qing anthology of imperial poems and texts preserved in the
court production. It summarises the many facets of the Palace Museum, Taipei. Compare the portraits of the 39-
scholarly accomplishments of the Qianlong Emperor, an avid and 49-year-old Emperor in the first two volumes, included
connoisseur and prolific poet. Evidently made to order in in Story of a Brand Name. The Collection and Packaging
the 21st year of the Qianlong period (1756), the frontispiece Aesthetics of Emperor Qianlong in the Eighteenth Century,
depicts the Emperor at his prime age of 45. He must have Taipei, 2017, cat. no. IV-27 (fig. 5). The author suggests the
revisited and enjoyed this album repeatedly thereafter, for roundel format, which effectively enhances visual focus,
later seals were impressed to the pages to emphasise his could have been a result of the involvement of Castiglione in
ceaseless recognition. the production of the first of these portraits, which served as
According to the Qing court archives, in the 20th year of the a standard for subsequent paintings (p. 225).
Qianlong period (1755) – a year prior to the documented This album was formerly in the collection of French President
production of this album with 32 seal impressions – on the Paul Doumer (1857-1932, fig. 6). Doumer began his political
10th day of the 5th month (19th June 1755), an album with career as a Radical-Socialist deputy from the Department of
an imperial portrait and calligraphy by His Majesty was Yonne (Sens) in 1889, before being elected as the Minister
commissioned to complement a group of 40 seals (fig. 1). of Finance under Leon Bourgeois in 1895. He served as the
Furthermore, five bespoke trays were ordered: four trays Governor of Indo-China from 1897 to 1902, where he carried
for the seals, ten seals each, and one tray for the album. out many important public works. Doumer then returned to
A separate entry dated the 12th day of the 6th month France, where he re-entered the Chamber of Deputies. He
(20th July) in the same year states that Lang Shining was moved on to the Senate in 1912, where he remained until
instructed to paint an imperial portrait of the Emperor for his election as President in 1931, defeating Aristide Briand.
a page in the guanwen (‘literature appreciation’) album in Doumer’s presidency was cut short after being assassinated
push-awning (tuipeng) binding style (fig. 2). The imperial only a year later.
portrait was completed on the 1st day of the 7th month (8th
August) and the album for the 40 seals, together with the
trays, were submitted on the 5th day of the 11th month (7th
December). The chronological order and matching details of
the records suggest that Lang Shining painted the imperial
portrait in the album made for the set of 40 seals.
For the present album custom-made for a set of 32 seals,
there is a matching record in the following year, dated the
11th day in the 8th month of the 21st year (5th September
1756) which states that Leader Gui Yuan, as proposed by
Chief Officer Bai Shixiu and Commissioner Jin Hui, presented
32 Han dynasty jade seals. The Emperor ordered five zitan
trays to be made in the same style as the former set of 40
seals: four trays for the seals, eight seals each, and one tray
for the album. The set was completed on the 27th day in the
12th month (15th February 1757) and was presented to the
Emperor at Yangxindian (Hall of Mental Cultivation) together
with the seasonal items (fig. 3). The arrangement of the
seals and the format of the album – in push-awning style
comprising a portrait of the Emperor by Lang Shining and
imperial calligraphy as suggested in the previous entries –
correspond perfectly to the present album.
The imperial poem at the end of this album, titled On Han
dynasty jade seals, was composed in the following lunar
year, between the 7th and the 15th day of the first month of
the 22nd year (24th February to 4th Mach 1757), according fig. 5. A roundel portrait of the Qianlong Emperor at the age of 39, Yuzhi
to Qing Gaozong yuzhi shiwen quanji [Anthology of imperial shi chu ji [Imperial poetry, vol. 1], Qing court manuscript in black-lined
Qianlong poems and texts], Yuzhi shi er ji [imperial poems, columns, 14th year of the Qianlong period (1749), frontispiece, Qing
vol. 2], juan 66, p. 11 (fig. 4). court collection, Palace Museum, Taipei, accession no. Gu dian 004271
The album with the set of 32 seals possibly entered the 圖五 乾隆皇帝三十九歲圓光肖像 乾隆十四年（1749年）《御製詩初
storage of Ningshougong (Palace of Tranquil Longevity), 集》內府烏絲欄寫本扉頁 清宮舊藏 台北故宮博物院 藏品編號：故
a lavish complex intended as the Qianlong Emperor’s 殿004271
retirement retreat. An inventory entry from the 32nd year of
the Guangxu period (1906) registers ‘(number 143) a carved
zitan box and cover containing an album and 32 jade seals.’