Mouseover Zoom loading...
Lot 1092
Imperial wedding procession
Estimated Value:
2.500 € - 3.500 €
Result:
incl. Premium and VAT
Description:
China, around 190043 x 204 cm
Unmounted handscroll. Ink and watercolors on silk. The last great imperial wedding procession of the Qing Dynasty took place in 1889 to mark the marriage of the Guangxu Emperor (reigned 1875-1908), and this scroll likely depicts a segment of those festivities. The section shown here appears to portray the transfer of the bride from her parents' home to the Imperial Palace. She is presumably inside the enclosed palanquin - adorned with phoenix motifs - which is carried by thirty-two imperial attendants. Riding ahead of her is the imperial messenger, bearing the wedding emblem on a pole and flanked by court officials. Following behind the palanquin is the imperial bodyguard, carrying standards featuring leopard tails, accompanied by mounted court dignitaries. Preceding the palanquin are the imperial band and standard-bearers carrying banners depicting the nine animals representing military ranks and the nine birds representing civil ranks, as well as the flags of the Eight Banners, ceremonial parasols, additional flags, and ceremonial fans. The procession is led by eight horses with yellow saddle cloths, each being led by the bridle.
Old private South German collection, in the family since the early 20th century - Minor stained, wear and damaged
The scroll presented here is very similar to a scroll in the Linden Museum in Stuttgart, which depicts the same procession and bears the signature of Zhou Peichun (active 1880-1910). He was a painter specializing in export or souvenir art for the Western market. A scroll auctioned at Sotheby's in May 2012 (Lot No. 160) also features the same depiction and signature. However, the present scroll differs from those two, being partly altered or abbreviated. For instance, the other two scrolls show only sixteen palanquin bearers -though correctly depicting eight horsemen of the Leopard-Tail Guard - whereas the number of standard-bearers preceding the flags is reduced to six in the present scroll. It therefore appears to be a further simplified version, likely by a different painter
