Amidst all the hoo-ha about Chinese contemporary art in Beijing at the moment (with several major exhibitions timed to co-incide with the Olympics), a rare chance to see some of China's oldest surviving paintings.
The Forbidden City is displaying some of its holdings of paintings, including two very early works: a painting of a Tang emperor receiving a Tibetan envoy, and a stunning and panoramic work called the "Night Revels of Han Xi Zai". The story behind this painting (probably apocryphal) is that the painter Gu Hong Zhong was commissioned by the emperor to spy on the official Han Xi Zai, who was reputed to be leading a debauched lifestyle in the provinces, away from the watchful eye of the court. The painting is supposed to be the result of the commission.
There is some debate about the exact age of this painting, but it was certainly in the collection of the Song emperor Huizhong (r. 1101-26). It is a superb diorama of the costumes, furniture, porcelain and entertainments of the early Song period.
This painting is on display in an exhibition with other works until the end of August in the Forbidden City: turn left in the main courtyard inside the main (southern) ticket gate to get to the Wu Ying Dian (Hall of Martial Valor). There are plans for a repeat showing in September.
For those that can't get to the Forbidden City, there is a good image of the whole painting at this link.
The Forbidden City is displaying some of its holdings of paintings, including two very early works: a painting of a Tang emperor receiving a Tibetan envoy, and a stunning and panoramic work called the "Night Revels of Han Xi Zai". The story behind this painting (probably apocryphal) is that the painter Gu Hong Zhong was commissioned by the emperor to spy on the official Han Xi Zai, who was reputed to be leading a debauched lifestyle in the provinces, away from the watchful eye of the court. The painting is supposed to be the result of the commission.
There is some debate about the exact age of this painting, but it was certainly in the collection of the Song emperor Huizhong (r. 1101-26). It is a superb diorama of the costumes, furniture, porcelain and entertainments of the early Song period.
This painting is on display in an exhibition with other works until the end of August in the Forbidden City: turn left in the main courtyard inside the main (southern) ticket gate to get to the Wu Ying Dian (Hall of Martial Valor). There are plans for a repeat showing in September.
For those that can't get to the Forbidden City, there is a good image of the whole painting at this link.
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