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Chinese Art Masterpieces in Print: History, Lineage, Legacy

傳承經典: 中國古代書畫名作復刻品


Exhibition Catalogue


Introduction Essays



Artworks



Miao 描, Mo 摹, Lin 臨, Fang 仿, Copy, Reproduce, Recreate: Transmission, Imitation, Lineage, and Tradition in Chinese Painting and Calligraphy

"Copy" often carries a negative connotation in the Euro-American artistic tradition. In modern visual cultural study, Walter Benjamin's famous discussion on the loss of "aura" in the age of mechanic reproduction has influenced generations of modern and contemporary art criticism. Today, however, as technological advancement dramatically reduces the visible gap between "originals" and "copies", we grow more and more interested in understanding and exploring new possibilities for art facsimiles.

In premodern China, the copying of artworks has had a long and unique tradition, and copying was an essential element of artistic creation and transmission. Copies had their own functions, values, and significance. In painting and calligraphy in pre-modern China, copying of masters was not only an important means for learning, but also part of the path towards excellence.

In Early China, the acceptance and promotion of copying as mode of transmission and emulation probably originated from Confucius’s saying 述而不作 “[I] transmit instead of produce [knowledge]”, recorded in the Analects. Confucius as the most venerated sage in Chinese history had set a model for later scholars. The text-based knowledge transmission system in China was built upon this principle of reproduction and imitation.

Such principles also govern artistic creation. In painting and calligraphy practice, for an aspiring artist, copying old masters is the first step of mastering the art. Painting and calligraphy are two of the San Jue 三絕 (“Three Perfections”, along with poetry), the highest forms of art for the literati. After the fall of the long and powerful Han dynasty, during the more chaotic Six Dynasties period, both calligraphy and painting became modes of expression for the learned. These two arts continued to develop in subsequent ages, forming a history of more than a millennium of creativity, tradition, lineage, and also innovation.

Gu Shi Huapu 顧氏畫譜 (Mr. Gu’s Painting Album), also known as Lidai Ming Gong Huapu 歷代名公畫譜 (Album of Paintings by Famous Masters of Successive Dynasties), is an example of such a copying tradition in Chinse art history. First printed in 1603, this album encapsulates the history of pre-modern Chinese painting, the power of woodblock printing technology, and its massive market during the Ming dynasty. This album illustrates the styles of ancient master painters as models for aspiring artists. Its publication paralleled the fervor for art collecting among merchant families as a means to elevate their social status, while members of the literati class served as advisors and connoisseurs. Together, they acted as the arbiters of taste, controlling the aesthetic discourse. Gu Shi Huapu, along with many other painting manuals published in late imperial China, reaffirmed the longstanding tradition of emulating the old masters as the paradigm for artistic practice and facilitated the consolidation of China’s art historical lineage.

The painting manuals on the Ming-Qing market such as Gu’s achieved reproduction through a “reductive transformation”, both in physical size and in pictorial content. Because of the restriction of the medium of woodblock engraving, such representation of painting masterpieces only captures essential elements of the original, forming a general “idea” or “impression” of the complex of visual information of the pictorial content.

Although polychrome printing had become available in the 16th century, Gu’s Album was monochrome–a reduction of the palette of the original, too. Gu’s Album may be seen as the earliest example of the transmission of artistic knowledge and connoisseurship for the general public through mass reproduction.

Another interesting fact was that Gu himself probably saw many of the masters’ works through copies only, as originals were not easy to access, and the question of authenticity was an issue for originals that were available. However, Gu’s Album and its methods of art reproduction/copy-making as had a prolonged influence on later painting manuals, and in turn also had an impact on the visual culture during and after the Ming dynasty.

Later, after Gu’s time, the Album was used as a reference in authenticating paintings attributed to earlier masters, indicating that such reproduction, despite a questionable level of authenticity in its representation, could also serve as documentation and a form of proof for the original.

Hand-copying techniques (miao 描, mo 摹, lin 臨, fang 仿), and the less organic techniques of rubbing and woodblock printing dominated the reproduction of art in China until the introduction of modern reproduction technologies, such as lithography, halftone, and collotype introduced from Europe; and later, contemporary reproduction technologies such as high-resolution cameras and scanners and giclee printing brought art reproduction to a whole new level.

Modern mechanical reproductive technology was quickly accepted and well received in early 20th century China, although they did not further explore whether China’s long-established print culture played a role. During the early phase of China’s modernity, in the beginning of the 20th century, the periodical Guohua Yuekan 國畫月刊 utilized modern photomechanical reproduction technology to find a place for traditional Chinese ink painting as a critical part of the Chinese cultural identity and inheritance during the country’s rapid transition into modernity. The various modern modes of visual reproduction shaped perception of art in the socio-historical background of the “preserving national essence” movement that initiated around 1908: in such political climate Chinese painting became an embodiment of China’s cultural heritage and national pride, and photomechanical reproduction technology played a significant role in the dissemination of such artistic knowledge and nationalist sentiment. Through mechanical reproduction, a national cultural treasure–Chinese painting–was no longer confined to private enjoyment but became available to the general public.

In early 20th century China, an age of transformation, revolution, and crisis, new technology actively embraced and its impact on artistic culture was seen as positive. Walter Benjamin’s discussion of the aura focused primarily on film and photography (as mechanically reproductive media) and his concern with these mass media in context of the political climate of early 20th century Europe, but the extended discourse on the issue of the aura in art reproduction continued to explore the definition of art and artistic value. A recently re-discovered 1930 short essay by art historian E. Panofsky was probably the first to acknowledge the value of photomechanical reproduction of works of art, stressing the importance of quality as representation over authenticity. A similar view presented in a case study of the Factum Arte’s high-profile facsimile project of Veronese’s painting Nozze di Cana in 2006: by showing the level of quality a high-tech facsimile can achieve, they argue that our focus should be on the quality of the reproduction as copies contribute to the trajectory of an artwork, and that the aura can migrate to a good replica.

Looking at an artwork face-to-face generate very different affective experiences from looking at it on a screen or in a book. Modern facsimiles produced with advanced scanning and printing technology strives to imitate if not replicate the awe of seeing an original work of art. We might assign different kinds of values to different kinds of reproductions, and embrace the Master’s wisdom – that the transmission of knowledge and art is no less important than their creation.

Dr. JP's Essay

IPR

Catalogue


Gu shi Huapu 顧氏畫譜/歷代名公畫譜

GU Bing (active 1594-1603) | Gu Shi Huapu [Mr. Gu's Painting Album/Famous Painters through the Dynasties]

Ming | Original publication: 1603 | Woodblock Print Album | Cheng Yu Tung East Asian Library Rarebook | Call No.: ND1042 .K75 1888

顧炳 | 顧氏畫譜/歷代名公畫譜 | 明 萬曆三十一年 | 雙桂堂 印 | 紙本雕版

Xi Shan Qing Yuan Tu 溪山清遠圖

xishanqingyuan

XIA Gui | Xi Shan Qing Yuan Tu [Pure and Remote Streams and Mountains]

Southern Song (painted c. 1180-1230) | Handscroll | Ink on Paper | Original Dimensions: 46.5x889.1cm | Original Location: National Palace Museum Taipei

夏圭｜溪山清遠圖｜南宋 宁宗朝｜手卷｜紙本水墨｜原作尺寸 46.5x889.1cm ｜原作藏 台北故宮博物院

Xia Gui 夏圭 (active c. 1180-1230), courtesy name Yuyu 禹玉, a native of Qiantang 錢塘 (modern day Hangzhou). During the reign of Southern Song Emperor Ningzong 寧宗 (1195-1224), Xia served in the imperial Painting Academy as a Daizhao 待詔. He was one of the most well-known Southern Song court painters.

In Chinese art history, Xia Gui’s name was frequently paired with Ma Yuan 馬遠 (1160-1225), known as “Ma-Xia”, or “Ma yijiao, Xia banbian 馬一角 夏半邊 (Ma one corner, Xia half edge)”, as Ma Yuan’s typical composition is often diagonal and Xia Gui’s occupies half of the picture-frame.

Xi Shan Qing Yuan Tu is esteemed as one of Xia Gui’s most representative works. Using ink, this long scroll depicts a rich topography of the water-abundant landscape of Southern China, showing multiple viewpoints.

The extant painting is not signed, but Xia Gui's authorship is identified in a 1378 colophon inscription by early Ming dynasty literatus Chen Chuan 陳川. A later inscription by Emperor Qianlong reveals that the artist’s signature was cut away. In modern scholarship, there is still debate over the painting’s authorship, but as the first sheet is number shorter than the subsequent ones in the multiple paper sheets that compose the scroll, Emperor Qianlong’s remark is possibly correct. Regardless of the true painter, this scroll is highly valuable in understanding the handscroll landscape format and the use of ink in Southern Song court painting.

Zhang, Mianxi 张眠溪. 2014. “Xi Shan Qing Yuan Tu Kaoxi《溪山清远图》考析.”Zhongguo Shuhua 中国书画(03),48-74.

Fuchun Shan Ju Tu 富春山居圖

fuchunshanju

HUANG Gongwang | Fuchun Shan Ju Tu [Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains] (The Wuyong Scroll)

Yuan Dynasty (painted c.1347–1350) | Handscroll | Ink on paper | Original dimension:33 × 636.9 cm | Original location: National Palace Museum, Taipei and Zhejiang Provincial Museum

黃公望｜富春山居圖(無用師卷) | 元代（1347–1350年作）｜手卷｜纸本水墨 ｜原作尺寸：33 × 636.9 cm｜原作藏 台北故宫博物院（剩山图），浙江省博物馆（无用师卷）

Huang Gongwang 黃公望 (1269-1354), courtesy name Zijiu 子久, a native of Changshu 常熟 (modern day Suzhou), one of the Four Yuan Literati Masters 元四大家.

Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains is the epitome of the artistic virtuoso of Huang Gongwang. The artist’s inscription records that he had spent a few years sketching live in the mountainscape of Fuchun in modern Zhejiang, before finishing the details in the studio and gifting it to his friend, Master Wuyong 無用師. It then went through centuries of connoisseurship and was regarded by many as one of the most esteemed Chinese paintings, a canon of Late Yuan ink landscape. Huang’s stylistic approach shows considerable spontaneity and sketchiness, places in the scroll also reveal the artist's retouching after making a draft. The texturing technique of cun 皴 and dian 點 depicting the softer, flatter topography of southern China also contrasts the strong and meticulous modeling seen in many earlier Song paintings, presenting a more stylized taste of the Yuan literatus artist.

The tranquil rolling hills and misty waters are captured in their upmost simplicity and freshness, taking the viewer on a visual journey through an idyllic scene of hermit dwellings, winding paths, and fishing boats. The artist’s calligraphic brushstrokes of varying shades of ink strip all extraneous, decorative details, manifesting the intellectual cultivation and impeccable aesthetic taste of the scholar painter.

Towards the end of the Ming dynasty, the scroll was tragically burnt and miraculously saved, then re-mounted into two separate pieces, now housed in two museums far apart. Here, the facsimile longs for a missed opportunity in reuniting the two fragments in modern reproduction.

The Fuchun scroll was copied by many hands through the Ming ang Qing in various degrees of verisimilitude. The Wuyong scroll once came into possession of Emperor Qianlong, the infamous almighty collector who was too fond of sealing and inscribing his collection. Fortunately, Qianlong took another copy of the Fuchun scroll to be authentic, so the Wuyong scroll was able to remain relatively untouched, a fortuitous blessing for modern scholars.

The Remaining Mountain 剩山圖

shengshantu

Cahill, James. 1976. Hills beyond a River: Chinese Painting of the Yüan Dynasty, 1279-1368. 1st ed. New York: Weatherhill.

Hay, A. John. 1978. Huang Kung-wang's "Dwelling in the Fu-ch'un Mountains": the dimensions of a landscape. Ph.D. Dissertation, Princeton University. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.

Que Hua Qiuse Tu 鵲華秋色圖

quehuaqiuse

ZHAO Mengfu | Que Hua Qiuse Tu [Autumn Colours of Que and Hua]

Yuan Dynasty | Handscroll | Light Colour on Paper | Original Dimensions: 28.4x 90.2cm | Original Location: National Palace Museum Taipei

趙孟頫｜鵲華秋色圖｜元｜手卷｜紙本設色｜原作尺寸 28.4x 90.2cm | 原作藏 台北國立故宮博物院

Xi Shan Yu Yin Tu 溪山漁隱圖

xishanyuyin

TANG Yin | Xi Shan Yu Yin Tu [Fishing in Reclusion among Mountains and Streams]

Ming (painted c. 1470-1523) | Handscroll | Ink and Colour on Silk | Original Dimension: 29.4x351 cm | Original Location: National Palace Museum Taipei

唐寅｜溪山漁隱圖｜明（1470-1523年間作）｜手卷｜絹本設色｜原作尺寸 29.4x351cm｜原作藏 台北故宮博物院

Wu Ma Tu 五馬圖

wumatu

LI Gonglin | Wu Ma Tu [Five Horses]

Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127) | Handscroll | Ink and color on paper | Original dimensions: 26.9x204.5cm | Original location: Tokyo National Museum

李公麟｜五馬圖｜北宋（960-1127）｜手卷｜紙本設色｜原作尺寸 26.9 x 204.5cm｜原作藏 日本東京國立博物館

Han Xizai Yeyan Tu 韓熙載夜宴圖

Attributed to GU Hongzhong | Han Xizai Ye Yan Tu [Night Revels of Han Xizai]

Original: Five Dynasties | Handscroll | Colour on Silk | Original Dimensions: 28.7cmx335.5cm | Original Location: Palace Museum Beijing

傳 顧閎中｜韓熙載夜宴圖｜原作 五代南唐｜手卷｜絹本設色｜原作尺寸 28.7cmx335.5cm｜原作藏 北京故宮博物院

Gong Yue Tu 宮樂圖

gongyuetu

Anonymous | Gong Yue Tu [Palace Banquet]

Tang Dynasty (618-907) | Original Format: Horizontal Scroll | Colour on Silk | Original Dimensions: 48.7x69.5cm | Original Location: National Palace Museum Taipei

佚名｜宮樂圖｜唐｜原作 橫軸｜絹本設色｜原作尺寸 48.7x69.5cm｜原則藏 台北故宮博物院

Guoguo Furen Chun You Tu 虢國夫人春遊圖

Attributed to ZHANG Xuan | Guoguo Furen Chun You Tu [Lady Guoguo's Spring Outing]

Tang Dynasty (618-907) | Handscroll | Colour on Silk | Original Dimensions: 88.9x119.4cm | Original Location: Liaoning Provincial Museum

傳 張萱｜虢國夫人春遊圖｜唐｜手卷｜絹本設色｜原作尺寸 52x148cm｜原作藏 遼寧省博物館

Fa Jie Yuanliu Tu 法界源流圖

fajieyuanliu

Yuzhi Geng Zhi Tu 御製耕織圖

yuzhigengzhi

Qingming Shang He Tu 清明上河圖 | ZHANG Zeduan 張擇端

qingming-zzd

ZHANG Zeduan (1085-1145) | Qingming Shang He Tu [Along the River during the Qingming Festival]

Northern Song | Handscroll | Ink and Light Colour on Silk | Original dimensions: 24.8cm x 528cm | Original location: Palace Museum Beijing

張擇端｜清明上河圖｜北宋｜手卷｜絹本水墨、淡設色｜原作24.8cm x 528cm｜原作藏 北京故宮博物院

Qingming Shang He Tu 清明上河圖 | QIU Ying 仇英

qingming-qy

QIU Ying (c.1494-1552) | Qing Ming Shang He Tu [Along the River during the Qingming Festival]

Ming | Handscroll| Colour on Silk | Original: 31x1346cm | Original location: National Palace Museum Taipei

仇英｜清明上河圖｜明代｜手卷｜絹本設色｜原作31x1346cm｜原作藏 台北國立故宮博物院

Qingming Shang He Tu [Along the River during the Qingming Festival], one of the most renowned Song genre paintings, is another masterpiece that demonstrate how canons become subject matter in artistic lineages.

The original handscroll was created by the Northern Song Academy painter ZHANG Zeduan 張澤端 (1085-1145), courtesy name Zhengdao 正道, a native of Zhucheng 諸城, Shandong. Zhang served in the Painting Academy during the reign of Emperor Huizong (1082-1135).

Allegedly, the scroll depicts the prosperity of the Northern Song capital city of Bianjing (present-day Kaifeng, Henan), or an idealized capital city according to Confucian principles. The delicate brushworks depict the city walls, bridges, stores, boats and other infrastructures, vividly capturing the economic activities and daily lives of the people.

The scroll is divided into three parts: the countryside, the river and the town, and slowly unfolds in the form of a long handscroll to build a flowing picture, making the viewer feel as if traveling to the Northern Song Dynasty and experiencing the day in that bustling city in the 12th century. The Qingming scroll shows a capital city's prosperity but also its social structure and the lives of the people. The activities of people from different classes, commercial transactions, and the layout of buildings in the picture reflect social structure and economic development.

Qiu Ying’s Qingming scroll is a Ming dynasty reinterpretation of the famous Song dynasty original, apparently a historical canon during Qiu’s era. QIU Ying 仇英 (c.1494-1552), courtesy name Shifu 實父, a native of Taicang 太倉, Jiangsu, later moved to Suzhou, one of the Four Masters of the Wu School 吳派四大家.

Blending the classical theme with a more delicate Ming aesthetics, Qiu’s version showcases intricate brushwork and vibrant colors. Qiu's scroll follows the pictorial structure of the original, portraying urban scenes, festive activities, and people’s interactions and daily routines. It stands as a representative Ming court painting and an example of remediation of an old masterpiece.

The Qingming scroll has been copied and adapted many times in the course of history, such as the version by the Ming dynasty painter Qiu Ying and the replica by the Qing dynasty court painters, each showing distinct interpretations of the topic and pictorial content, and the characteristics of its own age, demonstrating the cultural value of the Qingming scroll and its continuing influence in different historical periods. Through this exhibition, we hope that visitors will not only appreciate the artistic beauty of this painting but also reflect on its interpretation in different eras and its connection to contemporary society.

Qing court version of the Qingming scroll: click here

Dongri Ying Xi Tu 冬日嬰戲圖

yingxitu

Attributed to SU Hanchen | Ying Xi Tu [Children At Play]

Northern Song (painted 13C) | Hanging Scroll | Ink and Colour on Silk | Original Dimensions: 108x65cm | Original location: National Palace Museum Taipei

傳 蘇漢臣｜北宋｜立軸｜絹本設色｜原作尺寸 108x65cm｜原作藏 臺北故宮博物院

Ting Qin Tu 聽琴圖

Emperor Huizong (ZHAO Ji) | Ting Qin Tu [Listening to Zither]

Northern Song (painted c.1100-1126)｜Hanging Scroll｜Ink and color on silk｜Original Dimensions: 147.2x51.3cm｜Original location: The Palace Museum, Beijing

宋徽宗 趙佶｜北宋｜立軸｜絹本設色｜原作尺寸 147.2 x 51.3cm｜原作藏 北京故宮博物院

Lu Shan Gao 廬山高圖

SHEN Zhou | Lu Shan Gao [Lofty Mount Lu]

Ming Dynasty (painted in 1467)｜Hanging Scroll｜Ink and color on paper Facsimile Dimensions: 200×70cm｜Original Dimensions: 193.8×98.1 cm｜Original location: National Palace Museum Taipei

沈周｜廬山高｜明 成化三年｜立軸｜紙本水墨 淡色｜原作尺寸 193.8×98.1cm｜原作藏 臺北故宮博物院

Sanyue Shangtao 乾隆十二月行樂圖之三月賞桃

Attributed to Giuseppe Castiglione | Yongzheng Shier Yue Xingle Tu - San Yue Shang Tao [Emperor Yongzheng’s Pleasure in Twelve Months - Appreciating Peach Blossoms in the Third Month]

傳 郎世寧｜雍正十二月行樂圖 三月賞桃｜清｜立軸｜絹本設色｜原作尺寸 188.2x102.2cm｜原作藏 北京故宮博物院

Lanting Xu Copy 摹蘭亭序

FENG Chengsu | Mo Lan Ting Xu [Copy of the Orchid Pavilion Preface]

Tang Dynasty (created c. 626–649) | Handscroll | Ink on Paper | Original Dimensions: 69.9x24cm | Original Location: Palace Museum Beijing

馮承素｜摹蘭亭序｜唐 貞觀年間｜卷｜原作尺寸 69.9x24cm｜原作藏 北京故宮博物院

Lanting Xu + Lanting Xiuxi Tu 蘭亭序 蘭亭修禊圖

WEN Zhengming and ZHU Yunming | Lanting Xiuxi Tu [Spring Ablution at the Orchid Pavilion] + Lanting Xu [Orchid Pavilion Preface]

Ming (created 1542) | Handscroll | Polychrome on paper (painting) / Ink on Paper (calligraphy) | Original Dimension: 24.2x60.1cm | Original Location: Liaoning Provincial Museum

文徵明 祝允明｜蘭亭序 蘭亭修禊圖｜明 嘉靖二十一年 ｜ 手卷 ｜ 纸本設色/墨書 ｜ 原作尺寸 24.2 x 60.1cm | 原作藏 遼寧省博物館

Taohua Shuang Yan 仙萼長春之桃花雙燕

Giuseppe Castiglione | Xian E Chang Chun - Taohua Shuang Yan [Immortal Blossoms of an Eternal Spring - Peach Blossoms and A Pair of Swallows]

Qing Dynasty (painted c.626-649) | Album Leaf | Ink and Colour on Silk | Original Dimensions: 33.3x27.8cm | Original Location: National Palace Museum Taipei

郎世寧｜仙萼長春 桃花雙燕｜清 雍正朝｜册页| 原作尺寸 33.3x27.8cm | 原作藏 台北故宫博物院

Yulan Shuang Niao 玉蘭雙鳥

YU Zhi | Yulan Shuang Niao Tu [Magnolia and A Pair of Birds] in Hua Niao Ce [Album of Flowers and Birds]

Qing Dynasty | Original Format: Album Leaf | Colour on Silk | Original Location: Palace Museum Beijing

余雉｜花鳥冊 玉蘭雙鳥｜清 乾隆朝｜原作 冊頁｜絹本設色｜原作尺寸 37×44cm | 原作藏 北京故宮博物院

Qian Li Jiang Shan Tu 千里江山圖

WANG Ximeng | Qian Li Jiang Shan Tu [A Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains]

Northern Song | Handscroll | Colour on Silk | Original Dimensions: 51.5x1191.5cm | Original Location: Palace Museum Beijing

王希孟｜千里江山圖｜北宋 徽宗朝｜手卷｜絹本設色｜原作尺寸 51.5x1191.5cm｜原作藏 北京故宮博物院

Ji Zhi Wengao 祭姪文稿

YAN Zhenqing | Ji Zhi Wen Gao [Elegy to My Nephew]

Tang Dynasty | Handscroll | Original Dimensions: 29.2x75.5cm | Original Location: National Palace Museum Taipei

顏真卿｜祭姪文稿｜唐｜手卷｜原作尺寸 29.2x75.5cm｜原作藏 台北故宮博物院

WANG Xizhi Moji Heji 墨跡合集

WANG Xizhi | Mo Ji Heji [Calligraphy Anthology]

Jin (266-420) | Handscroll | Original Location: Palace Museum Beijing, National Palace Museum Taipei, Tokyo National Museum

王羲之墨跡合集｜东晋｜手卷｜原作藏 北京故宫博物院 台北故宫博物院 东京国立博物馆

San Xi Tang Mobao Heji 三希堂墨寶合集

WANG Xizhi, WANG Xianzhi, WANG Xun | San Xi Tang Mobao Heji [Calligraphy Anthology of the San Xi Tang Collection]

Jin Dynasty 266-420CE | mounted sheet | original format: album leaf, handscroll | original location: Palace Museum Beijing, National Palace Museum Taipei

王羲之 王獻之 王珣｜三希堂墨寶合集 ｜ 晉 ｜ 橫幅鏡片 ｜ 原作 冊頁、手卷 ｜ 原作藏 北京故宮博物院 台北故宮博物院

The Compilation of the San Xi Tang Calligraphy published by Anhui Fine Arts Publishing House in 2010 reproduces the classic calligraphy works of three early medieval masters, Kuai Xue Shi Qing Tie  快雪時晴帖 by Wang Xizhi 王羲之, Zhong Qiu Tie 中秋帖 by his son Wang Xianzhi 王獻之, and Bo Yuan Tie 伯遠帖 by his cousin Wang Xun 王珣 in one piece of facsimile. Despite the kinship between the artists, the three original works were autonomous until Qing Emperor Qianlong collected them together as “三希 San Xi” ( “three treasure” or “three rarities”) and named his study which stores the pieces San Xi Tang (Three Treasures Hall). 

This sense of togetherness has a strong personal connection with Emperor Qianlong. Despite the venerable status of the Wang family in the field of Chinese calligraphy, it was Qianlong—the connoisseur—who accredited the three pieces as “authentic” (in fact, only Wang Xianzhi’s work is) and elevated them to such a high status. However, this bond between the three pieces was profoundly weakened since 1924, when the last Qing emperor Pu Yi  溥仪  and his imperial family took the pieces with them upon their expulsion from the palace. After several turbulent exchanges of ownership, the original of Wang Xi Zhi’s piece is in the National Palace Museum in Taipei, and the other two works are in the Palace Museum in Beijing. While a reunion of the originals at San Xi Tang is almost impossible, this facsimile reproduction brings back the notion of three by putting the works in one handscroll. 

Di, Yongjun 邸永君. 2011. "San Xi Tang Xiao Shi 三希堂小史." Zi Jin Cheng 紫禁城 no. 10: 58.

Bai Lu Tu 百鹿圖/白鹿圖

Ignatius Sichelbarth ｜ Bai Lu Tu [White Deers]

Qing Dynasty | Handscroll | Ink and Color on Paper I Original Dimensions: 42.5x423.7cm | Original Location: National Palace Museum Taipei

艾啟蒙｜白鹿圖｜清 乾隆年間｜手卷｜紙本淡色｜原作尺寸 42.5x423.7cm｜原作藏 台北故宮博物院

Bai Jun Tu 百駿圖

Giuseppe Castiglione | Bai Jun Tu [A Hundred Steeds]

Qing Dynasty (painted in 1728) | Handscroll | Colour on Silk | Original Dimensions: 94.5x776.2cm | Original Location: National Palace Museum Taipei

郎世寧｜百駿圖｜清 雍正六年｜手卷｜絹本設色｜原作尺寸 94.5x776.2cm｜原作藏 臺北國立故宮博物院

Rui Gu Tu 瑞谷圖

Giuseppe Castiglione | Rui Gu Tu [Auspicious Grains]

Qing Dynasty (Painted in 1725)| Original Format: Horizontal Scroll | Ink and colour on silk | Original dimensions: 61x183cm | Original Location: First Historical Archives of China

郎世寧｜瑞谷圖｜清 雍正三年｜原作 橫軸｜絹本設色｜ 原作尺寸：61 x 183cm｜原作藏 中國第一曆史檔案館

Yuanming Yuan Xiyang Lou Tongban Hua 圓明園西洋樓銅版畫

Giuseppe Castiglione, YI Lantai | Yuanming Yuan Xiyang Lou Tongban Hua [Copperplates of European Architecture in Yuanming Yuan]

Qing Dynasty | Handscroll | Original Format: Copper plate engraving on paper | Original dimensions: 50.5 x 87.5cm (per plate, 20 plates) | Original Location: Palace Museum Beijing

郎世寧 伊蘭泰｜圓明園西洋樓銅版畫｜清｜手卷｜原作 銅板印刷｜原作尺寸：50.5 x 87.5cm 每頁（共二十頁）｜原作藏 北京故宮博物院

Yuanmingyuan Sishi Jing Tu Yong 圓明園四十景圖詠

TANG Dai and SHEN Yuan | Yuanming Yuan Sishi Jing Tu Yong [Forty Views of Yuanming Yuan]

Qing Dynasty (painted in 1774) | Handscroll | Colour on Silk | Original Format: Album | Original Dimensions: 62.3x62cm/leaf | Original Location: Bibliothèque Nationale de France

唐岱 沈源｜圓明園四十景圖詠｜清 乾隆三十九年｜手卷｜原作 冊頁｜絹本設色｜原作尺寸 62.3x62cm 每頁 ｜原作藏 法國國家圖書館