Emperor Qianlong Celebrating the New Year

Emperor Qianlong Celebrating the New Year, dated 1736-38, Giuseppe Castiglione (Italian, 1688–1766), Qing dynasty, Qianlong period; Hanging scroll, ink and color on silk © The Palace Museum

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Cost: $8 (VMFA members $5)

An Imperial Imagination

Thu, Oct 30, 6:30 – 7:30 pm

Leslie Cheek Theater

Join Dr. Nancy Berliner, Wu Tung Curator of Chinese Art, Museum of Fine Arts Boston, for a talk that explores the Forbidden City’s Qianlong Garden. Designed inside and out by the Qianlong Emperor, the garden contains 26 buildings and pavilions, and is a thrilling manifestation of this emperor’s visual imagination. 

One of the world’s greatest art connoisseurs, the 18th century Qianlong Emperor collected a myriad of ancient masterpieces but also relished his privileged opportunity to work with the finest artists and artisans to design and create all manner of inspired objects. With a deep knowledge of Chinese artistic traditions and a hungry interest in European aesthetics and styles, he and his workers produced extraordinary porcelains, trompe-l’oeil murals, and fantastical garden estates, the likes of which had never before been seen in China.