A Portrait of Emperor Yongzheng in Western Suit
This half-length portrait of Emperor Yongzheng in a Western suit, color on paper, was mounted with a wooden frame and glass.
Yongzheng was the fifth emperor of the Qing Dynasty and the third after the Qing empire moved its capital to Beijing. During his reign, Emperor Yongzheng reformed the government institutions and bureaucratic system and quelled rebellions in the frontiers, laying a sound foundation for political and economic development. He loved cosplay and often ordered court painters to depict his portraits as various identities, such as a Taoist, farmer, lama, and hunter, among others.
In this portrait, he wears a wig permed into small curls, a pale-blue scarf around his neck, and a dark-green coat. The portrait features mineral pigments of traditional Chinese painting, but its style was influenced by the realistic techniques of Western painting. In particular, the detailed patterns of the clothes including the six buttons were vividly depicted, and even the mole on the emperor's chin was clearly portrayed.
The reign of Emperor Yongzheng roughly corresponded with that of King Louis XV of France. Back then, China and France engaged in frequent trade and cultural exchange. This portrait of a Chinese emperor dressed in European-style costume epitomizes the interactions between China and France in the 17th and 18th centuries, testifying to the exchange and mutual learning between Eastern and Western civilizations at the time.
《雍正洋装像》
《雍正洋装像》为半身像，画面为纸本设色，使用木框玻璃屏装裱。
雍正皇帝是中国清朝第五位皇帝，入关定都北京后的第三位皇帝。雍正皇帝在位期间，对内改革清廷的机构和吏制，对外平定边疆叛乱，打下了良好的政治和经济基础。他还酷爱扮装，常命画师将自己的各种形象描绘入画，如道士、农夫、喇嘛、猎手等。这幅画像中，他头戴烫成小卷的假发，颈部系淡蓝领巾，着深绿外衣。此画使用中国画矿物颜料，风格却受西洋画写实手法影响，尤其衣服的花纹细节，甚至六颗纽扣，都清晰而且精致，甚至雍正皇帝下巴上的痣也描绘得细致入微。
雍正皇帝在位的同时期为法王路易十五执政，中法贸易与文化交流依然频繁。这幅身着欧式服装的中国皇帝像，是17—18世纪中法两国交流往来的缩影，见证了这一时期东西方文明的交流互鉴。
