Dragon Emperor

Dragon Emperor: Treasures from the Forbidden City is one outcome of the special friendship that has developed between China and Australia. For this magnificent exhibition, a selection of approximately one hundred national treasures of the imperial arts of the Qing dynasty (1644-1911) has been chosen from collections in the Palace Museum in the Forbidden City, Beijing. The Palace Museum is based upon the former imperial art collection, and was established in 1925, one year after the abdication of the last Qing emperor. Prior to 1925, imperial regulations were still in place, and common people were not allowed to set foot inside the Forbidden City.

We now have the opportunity to see for the first time the most beautiful treasures from the Manchu court of the Qing dynasty—imperial robes and accessories, imperial seals and passes, ceremonial armour, theatre costumes, weapons and hunting equipment. These items, once used by the emperors, empresses, imperial concubines and other members of the Manchu ruling class, reflect the mystery and grandeur surrounding the court of the later period of imperial China. They also constitute a major part of the artistic legacy of the Qing dynasty, a dynasty based upon the cultural encounter between the Chinese people and the Manchu horsemen who conquered and then ruled China for nearly three hundred years.

Made from the finest silks and brocades, these imperial robes glow with sumptuous colours, and are accompanied by gold, jade, coral, pearls, kingfisher feathers, turquoise, agate, and other precious materials and stones adorning the accessories. Here are robes and ornaments embellished with Chinese emblems of imperial power and symbols of good fortune, reflecting a cultural tradition and history of more than three thousand years—the Chinese view of the universe and the belief in the affinity between the natural and the human worlds. All these cosmic, supernatural and natural symbols are dynamic and evocative images expressing a semirealistic and semi-theatrical fantasy world of imperial power and grandeur. As one of the most important cultural exchanges to occur between China and Australia in recent years, this splendid exhibition presents rare and exquisite works of the highest artistic quality, exhibits which also tell a story of the history and culture of imperial China.

Sourced from: Dr Mae Anna Pang, Dragon Emperor: Treasures from the Forbidden City, National Gallery of Victoria, 1988, p. 12.