The Emperor's Private Paradise: Treasures from the Forbidden City

About this book

An extraordinary glimpse into imperial art from the Qianlong Garden one of Chinas most stunning historical sites located deep within the Forbidden City For centuries Chinas Forbidden City has captured the worlds imagination. With parts open to the public since 1925 nearly 8 million tourists flock there annually. Yet the elegant intimate Qianlong Gardenitself a mini-Forbidden City inside the Forbidden Cityhas remained sequestered from view. Dating from the 18th century the Qianlong Garden was built as a retirement retreat for its namesake emperor a visionary patron of the arts who designed his garden to reflect a perfect union of art architecture and nature. Now undergoing restoration thanks to a groundbreaking international collaboration it is intended to be open fully to visitors in 2019. The Emperors Private Paradise gives an unprecedented and in-depth analysis of the garden and its extravagant imperial interiors. Essays offer an overview of the history of Chinese gardens and the extraordinary reign of the Qianlong emperor while contextualizing the importance of the Qianlong Garden and its artworks. This lavishly illustrated volume is published to accompany a remarkable exhibition of ninety objects from the Qianlong Garden many of them never seen before including superlative examples of Qing murals paintings wall coverings furniture architectural elements and jades.By illuminating this little-known yet architecturally significant area of the Forbidden City this volume represents a major contribution to the fields of Chinese art history architecture and gardens. Organized by the Peabody Essex Museum in partnership with the Palace Museum and in cooperation with the World Monuments Fund Exhibition Schedule: Peabody Essex Museum(09/14/1001/09/11) The Metropolitan Museum of Art(02/03/11-05/01/11) Milwaukee Art Museum(06/11/11-09/12/11)