This imperial portrait of Emperor Qianlong was completed 1736 when the Emperor was only 25. Despite the Qianlong’s youth, the tone of the portrait is one of respect, power and reverence. Giuseppe Castiglione was employed by three Qing emperors of China, the third being Qianlong who reigned from 1733-1796. The artist of the scroll is uncertain, however, Castiglione’s role as an Italian Jesuit missionary court painter, is evident through the European perspective and respectful alignment with Qing court painting through intricate brushwork depicting the silk winter court robe. The onlooker observes the figure from the same height as the Emperor, creating a sense of the sight-size method, in which the artist’s perspective is matched to the eye line of the sitter, indicative of Western painting. The influence of European art is also evident in the realistic natural translucency of the skin, and a sfumato in the delicate halftones on the contours of the ears and jaw. The colour palette is dominated by a regal gold and yellow, a colour only worn by the
Imperial family. The pose is frontal and symmetrical in composition, in ceremonial Shenrong style, with no discernible light source, but rather the figure is flatly lit with no shadows, creating a certain timelessness of Imperial constancy. The geometric base of the throne and the repeated pattern on the ornate carpet advancing the theme of nationwide stability through a fixed, weighted sense of regality.
Western styles of Chinese portraiture were celebrated throughout the Qing Court due to the influx of European missionaries who aimed to evangelise China. The Jesuit missionaries as well as increased trade with the West introduced European luxuries in the form of the visual arts. The Qing Court’s appreciation of European painting is evident in Castiglione’s portraits such as Portrait of Consort Xiangfei in Armour (1760). The fashionability of Western painting is demonstrated through the depiction of European curled hair, and western armour with Chinese red silk visible underneath. Qianlong himself, enjoyed Western painting and collected numerous antiquity artefacts, calligraphy and paintings which are now housed in the imperial collection in the National Museum in Taipei. Qianlong viewed portraiture as an important tool in communicating a sense of security and strength for the public. In the same way nobility characterises this image,
Qianlong was depicted in cosplay to depict different virtues in works such as The Qianlong Emperor in Ceremonial Armour on Horseback (1739-58) as a warrior, and in The Qianlong Emperor as Manjusri, the Bodhisattva of Wisdom Thangka (1750) as a wise holy man. Qianlong’s devotion to religion is further reflected in his Imperial portrait in his right hand clutching at Buddhist prayer beads, indicative of his dedication to Tibetan Buddhism. The dynamic range and contrast of the darkest tones in the black lining of the
robe, draws the viewer’s eye into the design of waves and cloud symbolism combined with the repeated imagery of dragons – characteristic of the Qing Dynasty flag, strengthening the sense of nationalism. The negative space surrounding the throne emphasises the three Imperial seals in the top portion of the composition, positioning Qianlong as central in a lineage of divinely elected Emperors.