Hong Kong Palace Museum | Encountering the Majestic: Portraits of Qing Emperors and Empresses

4001. Spot the Difference

Walking through this exhibition you might ask yourself: if the imperial portraits of Qing emperors and empresses are so similar in composition and style; and all of the subjects seem to be wearing the similar outfits, how do we identify and date these portraits?

As you explore each work, you will learn more about Qing imperial court culture and will gain an understanding on the development and changes seen in these portraits throughout the Qing dynasty.

On the display panel before you are six printed portraits of three different emperors and empresses. Look at them closely. Do you see how their attire differs? Observe them from left to right, from the whole to the details, from clothing to accessories. How are they different from one another?

© The Palace Museum

4002. Spot the Difference: Portraits of the emperors

At first glance, all three emperors wear bright yellow formal court attire. But look at the patterns on the court robes: they are not all the same. In general, the development and changes seen in Qing imperial ancestor portraiture can be separated into three phases: the period of the first three Qing rulers, the Kangxi and Yongzheng periods, and from the Qianlong era onwards.

Examine the court robe of the Shunzhi Emperor from the early Qing dynasty on your far left. Can you spot how many dragon roundels ? (Pause) There are three on the front, three on the back, and one on each shoulder—eight in total. This is the general design of an emperor’s court robe from the early Qing dynasty; with a relatively simple overall style.

By contrast, the decoration on their clothing became more complicated in Kangxi and Yongzheng periods. Patterns such as front-facing dragons, moving dragons, coloured clouds, assorted treasures, mountains, and rolling waves were added to the decorative repertoire of court attire during that time.

Official regulations on the court attire of the Qing dynasty were fully developed during the reign of the Qianlong Emperor. Unlike the Kangxi and Yongzheng periods, small dragon roundels no longer appeared below the court belt, and the waistline of the robe was raised.

Twelve imperial symbols, including a constellation, pheasant, pair of sacrificial wine vessels, waterweed, axe, and the fu symbol, were also added to court robes. Below the front-facing dragon on the chest are the emblems of the eight Daoist immortals, including the flower basket, fish-drum, pair of castanets, sword, fan, flute, double gourd, and lotus. They are enclosed within a circle, surrounding the Chinese character shou for longevity. Last but not least, the sleeves on the lower arm were changed to bright yellow, and the outfit was completed by a court necklace made of pearls. If you would like to learn more about the twelve imperial symbols, please visit an area dedicated to this theme behind you.

© The Palace Museum

4003. Spot the Difference: Portraits of the empresses

We have seen emperors; what about empresses? How did their court attire change over the different periods of the Qing dynasty?

The evolution of the court attire of empresses can be divided into two broad phases: before and after the Qianlong period. The three portraits before you are of the Xiaokang Empress, wife of the Shunzhi Emperor, from before the Qianlong period, the Xiaohe Empress, wife of the Jiaqing Emperor, and the Xiaoquan Empress, wife of the Daoguang Emperor, from after the Qianlong reign.

As with the court dresses seen in emperor portraits, the clothing shown in empress portraits was only worn during important court ceremonies and rituals. Overall, their attire was more complicated, and comprised three main garments: a court skirt, robe, and vest.

At first glance, the three empress portraits here may look similar, but the court vests are different. Can you see how? (Pause)

The court vest worn by the Xiaokang Empress on the far left has one front-facing dragon, two standing dragons, and a motif pattern called babao pingshui, which means "Eight Treasures and Level Waters", near the hem of the vest. But in the portraits of the Xiaohe Empress, in the middle, and the Xiaoquan Empress on the right, the front-facing dragon is missing. Also, a long line of symbols modelled after the Chinese character shou, which means longevity, appear on the hem and lapel of the court vest.

Besides new patterns, the colours and materials used on court attire changed as well. In the portrait of the Xiaokang Empress on the far left, the empress is in summer court attire. However, from the Qianlong era onwards she appears dressed in full winter regalia, with the addition of fur lining under her court robe and court skirt. The colour of the collar and sleeves of the lower arms have also been changed to azure blue.

Both the Xiaohe and Xiaoquan empresses also wear winter court attire, but even these differ in subtle ways. Look closely at their hats. (Pause)

It was not until the Daoguang period that court painters changed how they depicted hats in empress portraits. In the portrait of the Xiaoquan Empress on the far right, the phoenixes have been moved upwards onto the red fur section of the hat. This creates an optical illusion that makes the viewer feel like they are looking up at the empress from a lower position—as they would have been in real life.

The accessories worn by emperors and empresses were not limited to hats. Look at the second button of the court vests shown in the empress portraits. They are connected to a sash, known as caishui in Chinese, which resembles a modern-day tie.

While sashes in portraits prior to the Qianlong period were all white with minimal decorative patterns, after this they became more colourful. In the middle and the right portraits, Empress Xiaohe and Empress Xiaoquan wear a green sash embroidered with a colourful motif pattern called wugu fengdeng, which represents the blessing for abundant harvest and harmony. 

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4004. Conservation Materials: Paper and silks

The conservation and restoration of traditional Chinese paintings is an art in itself. From colourful pigments to different types of paper, every material used has a specific function. In this display are some of the materials used in Chinese conservation and restoration.

The display case on the right shows some of the equipment used for mounting.

First, there is the Xuan paper.

Xuan paper is a traditional handmade paper produced in Xuancheng, Anhui province. It takes its name from the historical name of the area: Xuanzhou. It is made from a mixture of blue sandalwood fibre pulp and rice straw fibre pulp through an extremely complicated production process. There are several types of Xuan paper, each determined by the proportions of the two materials used. The two types commonly used for conservation are Jingpi (“pure tree bark”) and Mianliao (“cotton-like”) Xuan paper.

Next to the Xuan paper are the silk fabrics, such as plain silk and patterned silk.

Plain or unpatterened silk, also known as geng silk, has a plain weave (tabby) structure with a light, thin, and stiff texture. Geng silk is the most commonly used silk in the conservation of Chinese paintings.

Patterned silk is a lightweight and soft fabric. It is woven with silk threads and twill in different combinations of weave structures to form a variety of decorative patterns. It is widely used as a mounting fabric for hanging scrolls and hand scrolls.

Besides plain silk and patterned silk, there are the brocades.

Brocade is a colourful, patterned woven silk that is relatively thick. It is commonly used for the decorative strips used to mount hanging scrolls, and as a protective outer cover for handscrolls and albums.

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4005. Conservation Materials: Traditional colour pigments

The case on the left displays traditional pigments used in the conservation of Chinese paintings.

These pigments are made from natural materials, such as ochre, gamboge, indigo, azurite, and malachite. Gamboge and indigo are derived from plants; the others from minerals. Making pigments out of azurite, for blue, and malachite, for green, requires several rounds of grinding and washing to turn the stone into powder. During this process, the powder is refined. The finer the powder, the paler the colour, with the darkest colours being First Blue and First Green respectively.

Black ink is essential in Chinese painting. The items displayed in the case are inksticks - one is made of pine soot, the other of oil soot. Pine soot inksticks are produced by burning pine wood. They are dense, matte, and soluble. Oil soot inksticks are usually made from the soot of burnt plant oil, and are thick, full and glossy.

© The Palace Museum

4006. Conservation Tools: Brushes

In addition to these materials, Chinese painting conservators use many different tools. The four cases in front of you display tools commonly used in traditional Chinese painting conservation. Some of them are even handmade by conservators.

The showcase on the far right includes palm fibre brushes, goat hair mounting brushes, and painting brushes.

Goat hair mounting brushes are created by joining multiple smaller brushes together. The mounting brush is used for tasks like applying glue paste and dyeing silk.

Palm-fiber brushes are one of the most important conservation tools. They are made of palm tree bark and are also known as "mounting brushes". They come in different sizes. The big mounting brush is used to moisten paintings, while the small mounting brush is used to remove the creases and bubbles that may appear between an artwork and reinforcement paper. Though palm-fiber brushes must remain dry and neat, they can also be used to apply glue paste.

Painting brushes are another essential tool for conservation and restoration. They are usually made from wolf or goat hair. The type and size of these brushes varies according to the painting details that are being conserved or restored.

© The Palace Museum

4007. Conservation Tools: Apparatus for cutting and trimming

Next to the brushes is a case displaying various removal tools.

Bamboo spatulas are exclusively used for taking down paintings glued to walls and to trim lint from paper edges. They have a pointed tip and a wide end, with smoothly polished bodies. This allows them to be used to pick up and trim the edges of paintings without damaging the rest of the work. Mostly made of bamboo or more rarely ox bone, these delicate tools are sometimes customised or handmade by conservators.

Horse-hoof knives and point chisels are two of the most commonly used tools for trimming and cropping paper and silk, which is employed in different mounting processes.

Tweezers are mainly used for removing brush hairs or other residue from artworks. The best are those made from stainless steel.

Needle awls are used for aligning, positioning, and marking an artwork. Some conservators make their own awls by rolling a big needle into a piece of glue paste-coated paper, with the needle tip sticking out. To this they add a handle similar to a medium-sized ink brush.

© The Palace Museum

4008. Conservation Tools: Waxing

The third and fourth cases contain tools that are used for the mounting of artworks.

Before smoothing paper with a burnishing stone, wax is applied to the paper to achieve a glossy finish. The wax coating also acts as a protective layer that prevents damage when the paper is rolled up, and keeps away moisture and bugs. Sichuan white wax is the most commonly used, because of its dry texture and glaze-like appearance. The wax is slowly heated and melted in a container before being poured into a mould to shape into a block.

Burnishing stones can be made from different materials. This example is made from a long and weighted cobblestone with a smooth surface on one side. It is used to smoothen the back of the backing paper of an artwork, creating a glossy finish. When turning cobblestone into a pebble press, one side of it must be polished to flat and smooth so that the finishing of the paper can be silky smooth.

© The Palace Museum

4009. Conservation Tools: Mounting

The last case on the far left contains discs, clasps, and knobs.

These discs and scroll clasps are usually made of jade, or occasionally porcelain, ivory, or enamel. They are generally green, white, or blue. The discs are typically found on the two ends of the bottom rod of a handscroll; the clasp is used for securing rolled-up handscrolls.

Knobs are used to add weight to a hanging scroll. They are usually made of rosewood, red sandalwood, ox horn, ivory, or jade. At the Qing court, ivory knobs were reserved for most important pieces, such as imperial portraits. Not only aesthetically pleasing, they were also used as handles when unrolling a painting to prevent unnecessary touching of the artworks.

Just as Chinese painting conservation requires specialised materials and tools, it is also often carried out using a special table made of red lacquer. Take a look at the red lacquer table behind you.

The red lacquer surface of the table creates a striking contrast with the colours of conservation materials. This allows conservators to clearly distinguish between various layers of paper and silk, and helps to determine the consistency of different adhesives that have been applied to them.

Effective conservation and restoration requires much more than the proper tools and materials. For example, the condition of the room where the work takes place is a critical factor. Sufficient light, proper humidity and temperature control, and good ventilation all contribute to successful conservation work.

© The Palace Museum