Yuan dynasty
Portraits of Emperors Taizu (Genghis Khan), Shizu (Kublai Khan), and Wenzong (Tegtemur)
Portraits of Emperors T'ai-tsu (Chinggis Khan), Shih-tsu (Khubilai Khan), and Wen-tsung (Tegtemur)
- Anonymous, Yuan Dynasty (1260-1368)
- Album leaf, ink and colors on silk, 59.4 x 47 cm
Portraits of Khubilai Khan's Consort (Chabi) and Shunzong's Consort (Targi)
- Anonymous, Yuan Dynasty (1260-1368)
- Album leaf, ink and colors on silk, 61.5 x 48 cm
These renderings, from left to right, of Genghis Khan, Kublai Khan, and Tegtemur, as well as Chabi and Targi, come from the albums "Bust Portraits of the Yuan Dynasty Emperors" and "Bust Portraits of the Yuan Dynasty Empresses." They are now arranged in a horizontal format, which is probably the result of remounting that took place during the reign of the Qianlong Emperor (r. 1736-1795) in the Qing dynasty.
The three emperors shown here all have their hair tied in braids and are dressed in monochrome robes. Genghis and Kublai wear a leather warming cap, and the even the delicate texture of the leather of Genghis' cap is clearly evident. Tegtemur wears a "seven-jewel" crown inlaid at the top with a red gem . Even the luster of the gem has been indicated using white pigment to show the shine.
Kublai's empress, Chabi, wears a "kuku" crown, which was one of the most distinctive forms of headwear worn by Mongolian nobility. Besides textual evidence, archaeological findings also support the existence of this crown, the name of which is a direct translation from Monolian. The crown is distinctive for its tall and flaring conical form that is decorated with pearls and other objects along with a pheasant tail feather at the top. Her hair is tucked into the crown and then held in place with cloth. Both of the empresses here are shown with three collars. The edge of one is wider form of cecorative textile with a black background upon which a white floral pattern appears in gold and silver. The inner collars include red decoration on a gold background and a black pattern. These two strips of decoration represent the famous Yuan dynasty textile known as "nashishi ", which was woven with strands of gold. The technique for this textile originated in Central Asia, but with the military conquest of the Mongols it was transported and specialists in this craft also moved east, bringing it to China.
Compared to Song imperial portraits, those of the Yuan reveal several distinctive differences. First, despite the three-quarters view of the Yuan figures, their line of vision is frontal, suggesting that they are looking at the viewer. Second, in terms of technique, their faces have been rendered using very fine washes of color. For example, the way that the area around the eye sockets in the portrait of Khubilai has been depicted differs from the representation in using lines found in "Emperor T'ai-tsu of the Sung". In the Yuan portrait, very fine colors were washed over the surface to sculpt out the features for a volumetric effect. The cheek areas in the portrait of Chabi, for instance, reveal this presence of the skin and flesh. Recent research shows that this fine color wash technique commonly found in Yuan imperial portraits was perhaps related to similar ones found in the southwest area of Nepal and Tibet. The famous Nepalese artist Anige (1244-1306) appears to have played a key role in this transformation. Records indicate that Anige did imperial portraits for the Yuan court, and the high quality and consistency of the portraits of Kublai, Chabi, and Targi suggest the same hand-perhaps that of Anige.
Furthermore, the treatment of the transparent thin gauze along Targi's forehead is similar to that found in 13th-century Nepalese thangka paintings which in turn derived from east Indian styles. Though not conclusively by Anige, these portraits must be closely related to him.
The sketch-like alterations used to make some of the strokes in these portraits suggest that they were done on the spot before the sitters and perhaps intended as models for other portraits. These portraits reflect the extant to which Mongol and Chinese customs fused in Yuan China.