ANONYMOUS, LATE 19TH CENTURY

Details

SUMMER PALACE
ANONYMOUS, LATE 19TH CENTURY
Gouache on paper
Depicting a panoramic view of the Summer Palace grounds, the Hall of Precious Clouds (Bronze Pavilion) featured in the foreground, with pavilions and other buildings in the distance lining the shores of Kunming Lake, the majestic hills in the distance providing a dramatic backdrop
57 x 137 7/8 in. (144.8 x 350.1 cm.)

Provenance

Howard Gilman Collection.

Lot Essay

In 1860, the Summer Palace was extensively damaged by European troops in retaliation for the Boxer Rebellion. The Palace was later restored in 1888 by the Empress Dowager Cixi, using monies designated for the improvement of the Chinese navy. A similar large painting depicting the Summer Palace, dated circa 1890, is in the Vancouver Museum and was illustrated by B. Twill in the exhibition catalogue, The Manchu Era (1644-1912), Arts of China's Last Imperial Dynasty, Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, 19 March - 20 June 2004, pp. 24-5, where it is suggested that the painting was executed to commemorate the restoration of the Summer Palace.

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