Page 83 - Sotheby's Hong Kong Important Chinese Works of Art, Oct. 9, 2022

After passing through long corridors and grand halls These five paintings are preserved in the Palace Museum,
populated by Western-style playthings, the Emperor would Beijing. Except for one which is of poor condition, all of
have been welcomed foremost by his own reflection when them have been extensively published and studied; see
he arrived at this mirror cabinet. Peeping through the two for examples: Chiu Shih-Hua, ‘Jie’erliansan: Qing Gaozong
eye slits at the top, he would have encountered his most bianzhuangxiang si zheng xilun [One after another: Analysis
poignant and enigmatic double-portrait One or Two on of four portraits of the Qianlong Emperor in costumes]’, The
the right side, accompanied by a glimpse of paradise on National Palace Museum Monthly of Chinese Art, vol. 368,
the left. Whimsically designed with overlapping layers of November 2013, pp. 68-79, figs 11-1, 11-2, 11-3, 11-4; and
cutout panels, these scenes provide an illusion of three- Zhang Lu, ‘One or Two?: Self-representation in Emperor
dimensionality. This powerfully carved cabinet not only Qianlong’s Portraiture’, Wang Tao, Mirroring China’s Past:
showcases the influence of Western theories of optics and Emperors and Their Bronzes, Chicago, 2018, pp. 144-147,
perspective at the time but also elicits the view’s literal figs 1a-d. According to Kristina Kleutghen, among the
reflection of the self and self-identity. four published paintings, the Changchun shuwu (Studio
A Qing court record which dates from the 1st day in the 11th of Eternal Spring) version is the earliest and was probably
month of the 17th year (6th December 1752) states that ‘the painted in the early years of the reign (fig. 1), followed by the
Emperor ordered a pair of Xiyangjin (Western raree show Yangxindian (Hall of Mental Cultivation) version (fig. 2) and
mirrors) to be made for Shuifadian (Water Palaces)’ and tin then the Narayana Cave version, with the only dated version
plates in the storage would have to be utilised. The present Gengzi changzhi yue at the last (Qianlong 45th year, 1780);
raree show cabinet is extremely rare and there is only one see ‘One or Two, Repictured’, Archives of Asian Art, 2012,
other example of comparable material, structure and size, vol. 62, pp. 25-46. Numerous court artists have taken part
possibly made around the same time (see below). It is likely in the project, including Lu Can, Yao Wenhan and Jia Quan.
that the present cabinet is one of the pair stated in the entry It is suggested that Giuseppe Castiglione (1688-1766) could
of the Qing court archives. have contributed to the painting of the Emperor’s face in the
earlier version (Chiu, pp. 72-73; Kleutghen, pp. 26-28).
Produced over a period of more than 30 years, the painting
series One or Two comprises five tieluo (affixed hanging), the In terms of composition, the scene in the present cabinet
largest number of versions among all the imperial portraitures closely follows that of the Mental Cultivation version (fig. 2),
of the Qianlong Emperor. It is historically important because as evident in the painting of the screen and the long object
it represents the sitter’s reverence for antiquity and provides in the bronze gu beaker. The Xin dynasty bronze Jia-liang
a glimpse of his philosophical belief. Modelled after a Song (fig. 4) of great historical significance as it established the
dynasty dual portrait (fig. 3) and executed by Qing court measurement standard is also depicted in the cabinet. The
artists, the paintings in the series depict the Qianlong Emperor sitter, however, appears slightly plumper than that in the
in a traditional Han-style robe in an antiques-filled room, Mental Cultivation version, suggesting that the scene in the
casually seated in front of a screen suspending a further cabinet is of a slightly later date.
portrait of himself. Each of the paintings in the series is Through the European Jesuits who served the court, state-
inscribed with a perplexing poem: ‘One or two? Neither come of-the-art science and technology were introduced to the
together; nor separate. Can be a Confucian scholar; can be a Qing emperors, who found the theories and application of
Mohist. Why should I worry, or even contemplate’ (Wu Hung, optics and perspective particularly fascinating. With the
The Double Screen: Medium and Representation in Chinese involvement and influence of Jesuit artists such as Giuseppe
Painting, Chicago, 1996, p. 235). Castiglione, a new style combining Western realism and

FIG. 4. A bronze Jia-liang standard measure, dated to the 1st year of the Xin dynasty FIG. 5. One or Two, Yangxindian (Hall of Mental Cultivation) version, Qing dynasty,
(AD 9), Qing court collection, National Palace Museum, Taipei Qianlong period, detail of the Xin dynasty Jia-liang, hanging scroll, ink and colour on paper
© Palace Museum, Beijing
圖四 新莽元年（9年） 嘉量 清宮舊藏 台北故宮博物院
圖五 清乾隆 佚名《乾隆皇帝是一是二圖》軸 養心殿本 新莽嘉量局部 設色紙本
© 北京故宮博物院
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