Qing dynasty

The Manchu ruled during the final imperial dynasty of China, a time of foreign influence and challenge.

1644–1912 C.E.

Beginner's Guide

What is the Qing dynasty?

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Chinese export silver, a 19th-century Torah case
Chinese export silver, a 19th-century Torah case

One Torah’s decoration—from Iraq to China and India—reveals global artistic and cultural connections in the 19th century.

“One Hundred Birds” hanging scroll
“One Hundred Birds” hanging scroll

“One Hundred Birds” was a common subject matter in embroidery from the Guangzhou region.

Européenerie on a Chinese Table Screen
Européenerie on a Chinese Table Screen

Why does this Qing-dynasty porcelain mimic ivory?

Hua Yan, <em>Pheasant, Bamboo and Chrysanthemum</em>
Hua Yan, Pheasant, Bamboo and Chrysanthemum

Color and brushwork create a golden pheasant in this Qing dynasty hanging scroll

Wang Shimin, <em>Cloud Capped Mountains and Misty Riverside</em>
Wang Shimin, Cloud Capped Mountains and Misty Riverside

Wang Shimin reimagines the past in this Qing dynasty landscape

Zhao Zhiqian, <em>Flowers Album</em>
Zhao Zhiqian, Flowers Album

Peonies, plum blossoms, radishes, and cabbages are all depicted in these calligraphic ink paintings

Wang Shishen, Garden scene album leaves
Wang Shishen, Garden scene album leaves

These garden scenes are examples of how professional artists in Qing-dynasty China made a living

Ren Xiong, <em>Self-Portrait</em>
Ren Xiong, Self-Portrait

Ren Xiong's captivating self-portrait tells us a great deal about the principles of Chinese painting, the roles of self-portraiture and portraiture, and the canon of Chinese art.

Gong Xian, Eight Views of Landscape
Gong Xian, Eight Views of Landscape

An artist who used landscape as a way to process the fall of the Ming Dynasty and the beginning of the Qing Dynasty.

Portraits of Shi Wenying and Lady Guan
Portraits of Shi Wenying and Lady Guan

Ancestor portraits are typically commissioned by the family members of the deceased ancestors

Summer <em>chaofu</em> (formal court dress) for a top-rank prince
Summer chaofu (formal court dress) for a top-rank prince

China has captivated the world for thousands of years with its skill and creativity in working with silk.

Landscape: tea sipping under willows
Landscape: tea sipping under willows

Tea drinking has been an essential part of Chinese culture for centuries

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