Treasures from the Forbidden City revealed

Symbolizing the beauty and majesty of Chinese imperial power, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York is showcasing an exhibition of objects that once adorned an exclusive compound in the Forbidden City.
View Full Image Metmuseum/handout.
Portrait of the Qianlong Emperor (17111799).

Related Articles

Global Risks: Experts Focus on Two Key Challenges

HK forecast 11% rise in Lunar New Year traffic

Lunar New Year highlights China labour issues

Related Topics

  • China
  • New York

Subscribe to The Economic Monitor

Subscribe to The Economic Monitor to get the day's most relevant news, data and anlaysis .
Sample

The exhibition, which runs from February1-May1, 2011, is organized by the Peabody Essex Museum in partnership with the Palace Museum and in cooperation with World Monuments Fund.Additional support is provided by the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation, The Freeman Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and ECHO (Education through Cultural & Historical Organizations).The Forbidden City is an imperial palace which served as a political center! of the Chinese government for hundreds of years. Located in the middle of Beijing, the palace is listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site housing one of the largest collections of preserved ancient wooden structures during the era of the Ming and the Qing dynasties.

Must Read

10 publicly-traded companies entirely paid for by you (the taxpayer)

Four fool-proof tips on planning the perfect retirement from Smart401k

The Qianlong Garden, located within the palace, was constructed during 1771-1776 for the purpose of the intended retirement of Emperor Qianlong. The emperor was the fourth monarch of the Qing dynasty (1644-1911) who reigned from 1736 to 1795.Some of the finest artisans in the country were called to create intricately embellished interior and exterior spaces for the exclusive garden.However, the emperor never retired and the garden, relatively untouched since imperial times, remains a virtual time capsule of 18th-century taste at its most extravagant.It was in 2002 that the World Monuments Fund began a partnership with the Palace Museum to help restore the Qianlong Gardens and to assist in training Chinese conservators to tackle the challenges associated with the process.WMF and the Palace Museum completed the conservation of the first pavilion, Juanqinzhai, or the Studio of Exhaustion from Diligent Service in 2008.Juanqinzhai is noted for the unique silk trompe l'oeil paintings on the ceiling and walls of its private theater and its jewel box of a reception room containing unusually fine bamboo thread marquetry and inner bamboo skin carvings, as well as jade inlays and sophisticated textile decorations.The exhibition, titled The Emperor! 's Priva te Paradise: Treasures from the Forbidden City, is installed in the Metropolitan's Galleries for Chinese Painting and Calligraphy. The display hall will lead visitors through a series of thematic galleries, much as the actual garden was intended to lead visitors through a series of courtyards.Highlights of the exhibition will include an imposing portrait of the Qianlong Emperor, a radiant silk panel depicting a Buddhist shrine, magnificent thrones executed with impeccable craftsmanship, and a monumental jade-and-lacquer screen consisting of 16 panels.Augmenting the objects will be photo murals of the Qianlong Garden as well as a video-simulated "walk-through" of the Studio of Exhaustion from Diligent Service (Juanqinzhai).


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

'Son of star wars' base in Yorkshire finally ready to open

Peace campaigners slam secrecy over $10bn Menwith Hill project that puts UK in line of fire A "star wars" inspired defence shield that will alert the US to the launch of ballistic missiles is expected to be operational from a North Yorkshire airbase before the end of the year. The Space Based Infrared System is seen as the successor to Ronald Reagan's unrealised "star wars" programme, which would have detected Soviet missiles and shot them down using lasers. The new system, which has cost more than $10bn, has taken almost two decades to build and has been subject to numerous delays and cost overruns. The imminent completion of the project at the RAF Menwith Hill base near Harrogate has revived fears that space is in danger of becoming militarised, with Britain in the vanguard. "I find this disturbing to say the least," said a local Labour MP, Fabian Hamilton. "It's as if they are saying this is a place in the US and you are foreigners. But ha...
Keep reading

European debt crisis: 29 November 2011

Italians raise 7.5bn at more than 7% Euro group meeting to hammer out details of bailout fund Will they? Won't they? S&P mulls France downgrade Today's agenda Lunchtime round-up 7.38pm: Time to go. Good night and thanks for all your comments. 7.35pm: Reuters is reporting, citing an EU diplomat, that eurozone finance ministers agreed to release an 8bn aid payment to Greece which is part of the 110bn bailout package. It is the sixth instalment of loans. 6.49pm: This just in from David Gow : Eurozone officials are ignoring the doomsayers and talking up prospects for the EFSF, claiming that investors are still showing keen interest in it. None, apparently, has asked for more than 30% first-loss guarantee on their investment in loans to distressed countries - and the geographical spread is good. It's also claimed that the spread of investors, from hedge funds to sovereign wealth funds, is excellent. And, in a new twist, the investments could be tailored both to indiv...
Keep reading

As China Rolls Ahead, Fear Follows

Image
As China Rolls Ahead, Fear Follows - China kept economy growing in past couple of years by printing money. Now it's feeling consequences. Inflation in consumer prices, speculative bubble in property. Milk dearer in Shanghai than in New York Agence France-Presse — Getty Images China is looking to restructure its economy away from dependence on exports like textiles. For nearly two years, China’s turbocharged economy has raced ahead with the aid of a huge government stimulus program and aggressive lending by state-run banks. But a growing number of economists now worry that China — the world’s fastest growing economy and a pillar of strength during the global financial crisis — could be stalled next year by soaring inflation, mounting government debt and asset bubbles. Two credit ratings agencies, Moody’s and Fitch Ratings , say China is still poised for growth, yet they have also recently warned about hidden risks in its banking system. Fitch even hinted at the ...
Keep reading