Qing dynasty (1644–1911) - National Museum of Asian Art

The Qing dynastyXthe last imperial dynasty of China, 1644–1911. (1644–1911) was founded by a northeast Asian people who called themselves Manchus. WelcometotheNationalMuseumofAsianArt.Stayupdatedonthelatestvisitorinformation. HideAlert Skiptocontent Smithsonian CurrentLanguage Followus: SearchthissiteSearch https://asia.si.edu/object/S1991.121/ LearnForEducatorsTeachingChinawiththeSmithsonianExplorebyDynastyQingdynasty(1644–1911) TheQingdynastythelastimperialdynastyofChina,1644–1911.(1644–1911)wasfoundedbyanortheastAsianpeoplewhocalledthemselvesManchus.Theirhistory,language,culture,andidentitywasdistinctfromtheChinesepopulation,whomtheyconqueredin1644whenChinawasweakenedbyinternalrebellions.TheManchusforgedallianceswithcertainChineseandMongolgroupsthataidedtheirconquestofChina.Manchu(man-choo)ethnicgroupthatlivedforcenturiesinthenortheastofmodern-dayChina.IntheseventeenthcenturyCE,ManchupeopleconqueredChinaandruledthereformorethan250years.ruledidnotcompletelyuprootthegovernmentofChinaoritssocialandculturallife;instead,ManchurulersselectivelycontinuedandadaptedaspectsofChineselifetheyadmired.Theydevelopedastyleofrulebefittingthemultiethnicempiretheycommanded,ofwhichtheChinesewerethelargestpopulation.TheManchurulersmodeledmanyoftheirgovernmentpracticesonthoseofthepreviousChineseMingdynastyaseriesofrulersfromasinglefamily.(1368–1644).Forexample,theyemployedacivilserviceexaminationsystemmuchlikeinpreviousChinesedynastiestorecruitChinesegovernmentofficials.Inaddition,theemperorswerebilingualinChineseandManchu.Simultaneously,theManchurulersmaintainedandpromotedmanyManchucustomsatcourtandwithinthegeneralpopulace. TheQing(ching)dynasty,especiallyintheeighteenthcenturywhentheQingempirewasthelargestandmostprosperousintheworld,sawprolificculturalandartisticachievements.ThreeQingemperorswereresponsibleforthenotablestabilityandprosperitythestateofbeingwealthyorsuccessful.oftheperiod.TheywereKangxi(reigned1661–1722),Yongzheng(yongjung)(reigned1722–1735),andQianlong(chee-en-long)(reigned1735–1796). Theceramicpotsandotherarticlesmadefromclayhardenedbyheat.industryreachedanewheightduringtheQingdynastyandcreatedsomeofthemostsplendidporcelainsevercrafted.Animmensevarietyofporcelainswasproduced,whichincludedthoseforimperialrelatingtoanempire,anemperor,orthehomeofroyals.use,forpopularconsumption,andforexport.ClosecontactbetweenthecourtandresidentEuropeanJesuitsinChinahadagreateffectonaspectsofQingart.SomeporcelainsoftheperioddisplayedfeaturesthatreflectedChinese-Westerninteractions.OneQinginnovationwastheproductionofexquisitewarespaintedwithnewcolorsandtypesofenamelanopaque(dark)pastethatisusedtoaddcolortohardsurfaceslikemetal.Itturnsintoaglass-liketexture,whichalsoprovidesprotection,whenheatisapplied.pigments(F1954.127a-e).Someofthecolors,notablypink,wasinpartaresultofimperialadmirationintheseventeenthcenturyforEuropeanenamelobjectswiththispalettethatwerebroughttothecourtbytheJesuits. TheKangxiEmperorsetupworkshopsforthemanufactureofcourtarts,includingpaintingsandthree-dimensionalobjects,aswellasartsforreligiousdevotion.Someworkshopswereinthepalace,andmuchofthemanufactureoflacquerware(F1990.15a-e),enamel,jade,andcarvingsofivoryandorganicmaterialsoccurredundercourtcontrol.Otherarts,likeporcelainahard,fine-grained,nonporousceramicwarethatisusuallytranslucentandwhite.andtextiles,weremadeinimperialworkshopslocatedoutsideofBeijing.Forsomespecialceramics,undecoratedceramic“blanks”weresentfromJingdezhen(jing-duh-juhn)totheBeijingworkshopsforpainting.Theseworkshopsremainedinproductionfortherestofthedynasty. Qingcustomsofpaintinglargelyfollowedpreviouslyestablishedtraditions.Professionalartistsworkedeitheratcourtoroutsidethecourt;some,however,workedinbothspheres.Otherartistspaintedasanavocationandfollowedthestyleofscholar-amateurartists.Talentedprofessionalpainterswhoservedinthepalaceworkshopsproducedportraits,documentaryandnarrativeimages,copiesofancientmasterpieces,andreligiousart;theyalsoundertookdecorativeprojectsforpalacebuildings.SomeofthepainterswereEuropeanJesuit(jezh-oo-iht)amemberoftheSocietyofJesus,aRomanCatholicreligiousorderfoundedbyIgnatiusofLoyola.missionarieswhoservedthecourt.TheirrepresentationaltechniquesweregreatlyadmiredbytheQingemperors.Amongthem,GiuseppeCastiglione(1688–1766),alsoknownasLangShining,wasafavorite.HewasakeyfigureinestablishingthenewcourtaestheticofcombiningWesternstylerealism(ascanbeseeninthethree-dimensionalmodelingofafacewithlightandshadow)withothertraditionsofbrushwork(F2000.4). Artistswhopaintedasscholar-amateurartistshadvariousgoalsandpractices.SomesoughttorevitalizeChinesepaintingbycarefulimitationandadaptationofclassicalmasterpieces.Theirartwasnotdirectlyinspiredbynaturebutbythestudyofestablishedtechniquesandstyles.Someoftheseartistswerealsocollectorsof,orhadeasyaccessto,ancientmasterworks.Otherartistswhomoreobviouslybrokewithorradicallymodifiedpasttraditionapractice,skill,ortalentthatispasseddownfromgenerationtogeneration.havebeenknownas“Individualists.”Theyviewedartasaformofpersonalexpression,sometimesinjectingitwithastrongmessageofpoliticalprotestorsocialcommentary. ThenineteenthcenturywaslargelydifficultforChina.TheopiumtradethatarosefromunfairtradepracticesimposedbyEuropeansinthefirsthalfofthecenturydevastatedtheChineseeconomy.Thetwoopiumwarsin1840–42and1856–60andtheunequaltreatiesthatfollowedviolatedChina’ssovereignty.Theyhadlong-lastingconsequencesonChina’seconomyandsociety.TheBoxerRebellionin1900illustratedstrongChineseantipathytowardforeigners,butitwasshort-livedandendedwiththeQingcourt’sforcedflightfromBeijing.China’spositionintheworlddeclinedandinternalrebellionsoverthrewtheQingdynastygovernmentin1911.China’slastemperorabdicatedinearly1912,usheringinarepublicanChina. LessonPlans https://asia.si.edu/object/F1909.247e/ Objective StudentswillwatchavideoaboutChineseteaandteawarestolearnabouttheirimpactonartandtraditions.Theywillalsothinkabouthowteainfluencestheircommunity. LanguageArts SocialStudies VisualArts ElementarySchool MiddleSchool/JuniorHigh Painting DailyLifeandFolkways Qingdynasty(1644–1911) https://asia.si.edu/object/F2000.4/ Objective StudentswillanalyzeaportraitofEmperorQianlong.TheywilllookcloselyattheelementsofthepaintingtoseehowBuddhism,theMandateofHeaven,andforeigninteractionscontributemeaningtoart. SocialStudies VisualArts HighSchool Painting PowerandPrivilege TraditionsandBeliefSystems CulturalInteractions Qingdynasty(1644–1911) https://asia.si.edu/object/F1957.25a-b/ Objective StudentswhoarealreadyfamiliarwithSiddharthaGautama,orShakyamuni,theHistoricalBuddha,willdeepentheirunderstandingofBuddhistbeliefsandartwork.Theywillanalyzeandinterpretworksofartthatrevealhowpeoplelivearoundtheworldandwhattheyvalue.Theywillidentifyhowworksofartreflecttimes,places,cultures,andbeliefs. SocialStudies VisualArts HighSchool MiddleSchool/JuniorHigh Sculpture TraditionsandBeliefSystems CulturalInteractions Qingdynasty(1644–1911) https://asia.si.edu/object/F2015.7/ Objective StudentswilllookcloselyataQingdynastycourtrobeknownasachaofu.TheywilllearnaboutthebeliefsinChinesenumerologyanditsrelationshiptolanguage.Aftercountingthesymbols,theywilllearnwhyspecificnumbersofspecialimagesappearontherobe.Severalrelatedmathproblemsareincluded. Humanities Mathematics SocialStudies ElementarySchool MiddleSchool/JuniorHigh CostumeandTextile PowerandPrivilege DailyLifeandFolkways AnimalsandNature Qingdynasty(1644–1911) https://collections.si.edu/search/detail/ead_component:sova-fsa-a-13-ref7?date.slider=&q=%22FSA+A.13%22&dsort=&record=44&hlterm=%26quot%3BFSA%2BA.13%26quot%3B Objective StudentswillbeabletoexplainthevariousreasonswhytheQingdynastywasweakenedduringthenineteenthcentury,especiallywithregardtotheoutsideinfluenceofforeignpowers. APWorldHistory SocialStudies HighSchool Photograph CulturalInteractions PowerandPrivilege DailyLifeandFolkways Qingdynasty(1644–1911) Object:PortraitsofShiWenyingandLadyGuan Object:Landscape-Teasippingunderwillows Object:BoxofDecoratedwithImagesofSpringandLongevity Object:TheQianlongEmperorasManjushri,theBodhisattvaofWisdom Object:Summerchaofu(formalcourtdress)foratoprankprince Object:TheEmpressDowagerCixiwithforeignenvoys’wives Object:Vaseofbottleshapewith“garlic”mouth Object:StandingfigureofGuanyinasBuddha