Lot 34
  • 34

A COMPLETE SET OF ETCHINGS OF PALACES, PAVILIONS AND GARDENS CREATED BY GIUSEPPE CASTIGLIONE IN THE IMPERIAL GROUND AT YUANMING YUAN AT THE SUMMER PALACE BEIJING PARIS, 1977

Estimate
15,000 - 20,000 GBP
bidding is closed

Description

  • black ink print on paper
comprising twenty black and white plates produced by Jardin de Flore, printed on Vélin de Rives paper, each after Giuseppe Castiglione originals created between 1783 and 1786, portraying the edifices, gardens and palace grounds of the Yuanming yuan constructed between 1737 to 1766, including the north elevation of the Haiyan Tang (Hall of the Calm Sea) and the main façade of the Fangwai Guan (The 'Belvedere' Palace), inscribed with the name of the palace and location and the numerical sequence in Chinese characters, later yellow board portfolio

Condition

Each in excellent overall condition, with the exception of no. 13, which has a small 10mm tear to the lower edge of the paper. Each with very minor superficial dirt to the paper. No. 2 and 20 each with slightly blurred elements of the printing.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Catalogue Note

These prints are is an outstanding facsimile edition of the celebrated set of 20 engravings produced between 1783 and 1786 illustrating the European Palaces of the Yuanming Yuan designed by Giuseppe Castiglione and other missionary artists working in the Imperial Palace for the Qianlong Emperor. This extraordinary architectural project was recorded for the Emperor in these plates, originally engraved on copper by Chinese pupils of the Jesuits, who were collectively known under the Chinese name Changchun Yuan shuifa tu.

 

The Yuanming Yuan by the Qianlong period occupied over eight-hundred acres that included private imperial residence compounds and five gardens called the Yuanming Wu Yuan (Five Gardens of Round Brightness). According to Cary Y. Liu in 'The Yuanming Yuan Summer Palace', Splendors of China's Forbidden City, Chicago, 2004, p. 35, it was designed 'as microcosms of the empire and cosmos, focusing on the emperor surrounded by scenic spots copied from around the nation and beyond its borders. Amid landscaped lakes, plains, and hills, the more public formal palace halls were arranged in front, followed by more private informal imperial residence compounds, with the garden sanctuary at the back.'  Liu further explains that buildings in the Yuanming Yuan were designed by the special Design Office (yang fang) who worked with construction drawings and models. The present set of prints were possibly drawn for the Design Office and were considered innovative designs imitating rococo-style Western buildings. 

 

The original engravings were presented to the Qianlong Emperor in 1786 and remain the most important and detailed visual reference on the European Palaces at Yuanming Yuan, depicting the buildings and surrounding gardens in their prime, nearly 20 years after their completion. The fact that the Emperor had commissioned the engravings would indicate that he was satisfied with the European Palaces and their environs. For a suite of the original prints, see one included in the exhibition Splendors of a Flourishing Age: Paintings and Antiques of Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianlong Reigns from the Forbidden City, Museu de Arte de Macau, 2000, cat.no. 37; and five from the set illustrated in Cecile et Michel Beurdeley, Castiglione, Peintre Jesuite a la Cour de Chine, Fribourg, 1971, pp. 66, 67, 69, 70 and 71.

 

This spectacular set is produced to a very high quality, to the exact size of the original engraved images, and on Velin de Rives paper which emulates the 'papier de Chine' of the originals. It is worth noting that the facsimile was produced from one of only three known sets of engravings which have not been folded and thus have no detracting central crease.