The National Palace Museum Open Data Platform

Exhibit

The Storytelling Images special exhibition is built around "story-paintings" or "narrative paintings" at its core. The exhibition hopes to give color to how images can surpass textual descriptions, providing visitors with a richer sense of their expressive potential and defining features.

How do we get a picture to tell a story? When a painter uses images to recreate or interpret a story, their primary goal is to ensure that the viewer can recognize the depicted content. Given the artwork's various size and format constraints (i.e. handscroll, hanging scroll, or album), the painter needs to carefully select the key moments from the plot, compose an appropriate scene, and shape the figures, their appearances, and their actions. Only by doing so can they complete the task of telling a story.

Why paint this type of story? Which stories were selected to be turned into images? And when they were drawn, who was the intended audience? By identifying and sorting through the themes of these paintings, we can try to deduce the artist's ideas and mindset at the time of their creation. Perhaps what emerges is a cultural identity that spans generations—another intriguing way to appreciate these works.

How should we understand narrative paintings? The richer a viewer's knowledge of history and literature, the more likely they are to match the elements in a painting to the corresponding text. Those who lived in the same time period as the artist, sharing similar experiences and thoughts, would have found it easier to recognize the scene selections and their depictions. In contrast, how much can contemporary audiences identify? If the story portrayed in the work is difficult to identify, does that mean the opportunity for engaged viewing is lost?

Through this exhibition, not only may you appreciate how painters used images to engage with captivating stories, you can also measure your own visual literacy. See if you can travel through time to decipher the many messages that the artists intended to convey.

Exhibit

The Qing dynasty’s territory spanned temperate, subtropical, and tropical zones, and as such a great diversity of plants and animals made their way to the imperial palaces in the form of tribute. The Qing emperors’ interest in flowers and plants impelled court artists to look beyond the traditional botany of the region south of the Yangtze River as they sought to paint wild high-altitude plants and even non-native flowers imported from the west. The exotic flowers and plants in their paintings give us an opportunity to imagine the splendid flora that once flourished in the imperial gardens.

Flowers may only bloom for a short time, but paintings made in brush and ink let their beauty and vivaciousness live forever. The paintings of flowers and plants left to us by the imperial court are not merely a visual record of their botanical subjects—these artworks also serve as “moving gardens” that allow us to appreciate plants’ glory no matter what time of year they go on display.

Exhibit

 "Inkstone aficionados" are individuals who are extremely infatuated with inkstones. Famous historical figures such as Su Shi and Mi Fu from the Song Dynasty, as well as Gao Fenghan from the Yangzhou School of Painting in the Qing Dynasty, were all renowned lovers of inkstones. What is it about inkstones that captivates people and makes them unable to let go? Let us appreciate the beauty of inkstones and share some intriguing stories about them.

Inkstones have accompanied people through the ages. In an era before computer keyboards were used and before fountain pens were invented, the use of brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones was required for writing and painting. Among these tools, inkstones have stood the test of time. For approximately 2,000 years, inkstones have undergone continuous changes, evolution, and refinement, much like the ebb and flow of fashion trends, exhibiting a multitude of forms and styles throughout different eras.

The exhibition will focus on the development and evolution of inkstone styles, interwoven with various aspects related to inkstones. We hope that everyone can experience the distinctive features of inkstones and immerse themselves in the emotions and sentiments of inkstone users throughout history, bridging the gap between the past and the present.

Exhibit

 Onde a terra acaba e o mar começa.

“Where the land ends and the sea begins,” said the Portuguese poet, Luís Vaz de Camões (?-1580). These two lines described how the edge of the land was precisely the starting point of the sea. The context of his words bore witness to the desire for venturing overseas, which pervaded Europe during the 16th century, while encapsulating the encounters among people from different parts of the world. 

It was a time when being attached to one place no longer sufficed, be it the land or the sea. Sailing afar time and again into uncharted waters, seafarers searched for opportunities and resources. It was a time when the first circumnavigation of Earth was completed, which gradually weaved through Asia, Europe, Africa and the Americas into a maritime perspective of the silhouette of the world. Unprecedented discoveries emerged near and far, germinating slowly and blossoming into ideas diverging from the past. It was a time of amazements and filled with profound changes, as French historian Fernand Braudel (1902-1985) called it, “the long 16th century.”

This exhibition unfolds with a maritime beginning, where precious artworks from the National Palace Museum as well as major institutions both domestic and abroad converge to recount the stories of cultural encounters and fusion through voyages of the 16th century. Divided into three sections, the exhibition opens with The Maritime Era, in which objects such as nautical maps, silver coins and porcelains recovered from shipwrecks lay out a backdrop across the sea where Europe and Asia crossed paths and inspirations were roused. The Chance Encounter tracks the movement, interaction and rivalry among peoples from all corners of the world through literature, archives, goods and plant species. Taiwan, as a hub of convergence, also started making her presence on the world map at this time. Lastly, Emerging Intercultural Expression highlights items such as paintings, objects and maps as an exploration of the ample exchanges in art, knowledge and culture, while also delving into the new concept of being “global.”

Exhibit

 Traditional imperial living spaces were meticulously planned and constructed. The institutions involved in the planning had well-defined roles, including surveying and measurement, drawing and design, materials estimation, construction execution, and final inspection. The scale of involvement was vast, requiring significant human and material resources.

During the Qing Dynasty, following the architectural traditions of the Han ethnic group and incorporating Manchu customs, the imperial residences exhibited unique architectural features. Whether it was the palace planning for state affairs, the management of leisure gardens, the construction of temples for rituals and blessings, or the building of mausoleums for eternal rest, each aspect was meticulously managed. For major projects, the emperor would delegate trusted high-ranking officials such as princes, ministers, and officials from the Imperial Household Department to organize the "Construction Bureau" (also known as the Imperial Commission Construction Bureau) to oversee the construction. Their construction reports, material cost estimates, and quantity records provide valuable insights into Qing Dynasty imperial architecture.

Among the extensive teams involved in imperial construction projects, there was a unit within the "Construction Bureau" known as the "Styling office," responsible for project planning and design. This unit was the core department of the construction process, and its leader was referred to as the "Chief Planner." Members of the Lei family served in this unit for several generations, with some even reaching the highest position of "Chief Planner." The Lei family participated in numerous imperial construction projects, leaving behind a wealth of architectural drawings, models, and documentary materials. These precious records, known as the "Lei style architecture, " were inscribed on the UNESCO Memory of the World Register-Asia and the Pacific in 2007. In this exhibition, we have enriched the content by borrowing the late Qing Dynasty architectural drawings of Lei Siqi (1826-1876) from the National Taiwan University Library, and we would like to express our gratitude for their cooperation.

The exhibition is divided into three sections: "Imperial Architectural Drawings," "Imperial Architects – The Lei Style Architecture," and " Classical Architecture in Modern Taiwan." The first section showcases selected Qing Dynasty imperial architectural drawing files from our collection. The second section introduces important members of the Lei family and their architectural design cases. The final section explores the continuation of traditional classical architecture in Taiwan, highlighting representative works in the early stages of cultural development after the relocation of the Nationalist government to Taiwan.

Exhibit

        Tapestry is a form of textile art done on a simple plain loom with discontinuous weft threads woven onto a full expanse of warp threads. It involves first composing a draft of the intended image on the warp threads and then separately shuttling threads of various colors and lengths attached as the weft based on the desired pattern. Shuttling back and forth on the loom thereby builds up the individual parts of the image, but the edges between them appear abrupt with a saw-tooth gap as if cut out. Thus referred to as "cut silk" in Chinese, tapestry is also known as the art of "producing something from nothing." Chinese embroidery involves outlining a pattern on a foundation of various weaves of silk, such as plain, twill, light, and satin, and then embroidering with silk threads. Hence, embroidery has been compared to the expression "adding flowers to brocade" (making something even more beautiful).

     Tapestry and embroidery both have a long history in China. As the techniques to produce them matured, these two crafts became increasingly appreciated as art forms in their own right, especially during the Song dynasty (960-1279). Artists often took inspiration from the fine arts, copying the works of famous painters and calligraphers to transform them into beautiful silk textiles in a wide variety of subjects, including bird-and-flower, landscape, religious, and narrative depictions. Reproducing the engaging and fascinating world of painting, even down to the smallest details, textile artists sometimes even exceeded the realm of painting, demonstrating the extraordinary heights achieved in the arts of silk tapestry and embroidery.

     The works of tapestry and embroidery in the National Palace Museum collection are superlative in both quantity and quality. This special exhibition brings together those on the subjects of landscapes and figures, dividing them into four sections: "Pure Sounds of the Landscape," "Buddhist and Daoist Figures," "Characters in Popular Stories," and "Famous Masters, Famous Works." On one hand, they portray the arrangements and techniques of representing landscapes and figures as well as other elements, revealing the amazing beauty and skill in weaving tapestry and embroidery. On the other hand, these works from the Song and later periods also illustrate the period styles and artistic accomplishments of their respective eras. From the diverse facets of Chinese tapestry and embroidery, audiences can not only appreciate the beauty of these art forms in the works on display but also their developments over the ages.

Exhibit

 Throughout history, individuals who are particular about taste and aesthetic experience will constantly pursue spiritual delights to elevate the mundane of everyday life. People nowadays still enjoy flower arranging, incense burning, painting hanging, and tea tasting. In fact, these long-lasting activities can be traced back over a thousand years.

Extant documents, antiquities, and paintings have shown that Song people of the 12th century gave special attention to the harmony between flowers and the vessels when they arranged flowers. They also made the incense in different recipes to display individuality with exclusive scent. Furthermore, hanging paintings not only served the purpose of decorating the home environments; more importantly, it created an immersive space of elegance. For tea tasting, "whisking tea," diancha, was preferred for large parties while the archaic "boiling tea," jiancha, was chosen to demonstrate a style of drinking alone or with fewer attendances.

This exhibition presents the four subjects of flower, incense, painting, and tea in divided sections. Through the interplay among the artefacts, it aims to reflect people's thoughts and practices on these four activities around the 12th century. We invite everyone to the recreated area in the gallery to experience a world infused with flowers, incense, paintings, and tea from ancient times.

We owe our sincere gratitude to the National Central Library, Museum of Oriental Ceramics, Osaka and Ryoko-in Sanctuary in the Daitoku-ji Temple. The diversity of this exhibition is greatly enriched through their graciousness in lending their precious collections.

Exhibit

       The exhibition shows that porcelains with painted enamels of the three reigns of the Qing dynasty, Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianlong (1622-1795), are the most iconic porcelain wares in the 18th century. Also, it elaborates these three stages of styles were established with the invention and development of the pigments as well as the different requests for the official wares from the Emperors.

        This exhibition is divided into three sections in chronological order. “Novelty from the Emperor’s Experimental Workshop” compares the testing pieces and final works to present that the Kangxi Emperor (r. 1662-1722) invited Western missionaries and local masters to produce the Kangxi-reign-style painted enamels. “Imperial Exclusive Style” shows that the Yongzheng Emperor (r. 1723-1735) promoted painted enamels as court-limited works based on his request of an imperial exclusive style. “Imperial Design & Craftsman’s Skill” presents that the Qianlong Emperor (1736-1795) reinitiated the dialogue between the Imperial workshops of the Forbidden City (or the Old Summer Palace) in Beijing and Imperial kilns in Jingdezhen to embody the concept of one “official ware” so that they could share the same decorative style, and therefore create yangcai and falangcai, two styles of painted enamels.

Exhibit

Is "authority" something that can be seen...?

The idea of authority may be abstract and difficult to grasp but has always found expression in the visual arts, where its presence has long been seen and felt. The subject of this special exhibition, "imperial portraiture," has often been considered among scholars as simply a form of illustrating these important rulers in history. However, imperial portraits are not only fine works of art, they also represent the fundamentals and "face" of authority itself in Chinese history.

The emperors and empresses in these portraits reflect people of the highest status and power at the time. But how were the portraits produced to represent the lofty and noble hierarchy of these figures as being above and different from that of ordinary folks? Furthermore, how did viewers of these works discern the figures therein as leaders truly invested with the "authority" to rule?

To answer these questions, this special exhibition features a select group of imperial portraits done over the dynasties that were stored at the Nanxun Hall in the imperial court during the Qing dynasty. As presented here, the display seeks to demonstrate how artists at different times in the past rendered such facets as visage, pose, apparel, seating, screen arrangement, and decoration on the surface of these paintings to express the majesty of emperors and empresses, thereby allowing the glory of their "authority" to emanate from within. 

Exhibit

Is "authority" something that can be seen...?

The idea of authority may be abstract and difficult to grasp but has always found expression in the visual arts, where its presence has long been seen and felt. The subject of this special exhibition, "imperial portraiture," has often been considered among scholars as simply a form of illustrating these important rulers in history. However, imperial portraits are not only fine works of art, they also represent the fundamentals and "face" of authority itself in Chinese history.

The emperors and empresses in these portraits reflect people of the highest status and power at the time. But how were the portraits produced to represent the lofty and noble hierarchy of these figures as being above and different from that of ordinary folks? Furthermore, how did viewers of these works discern the figures therein as leaders truly invested with the "authority" to rule?

To answer these questions, this special exhibition features a select group of imperial portraits done over the dynasties that were stored at the Nanxun Hall in the imperial court during the Qing dynasty. As presented here, the display seeks to demonstrate how artists at different times in the past rendered such facets as visage, pose, apparel, seating, screen arrangement, and decoration on the surface of these paintings to express the majesty of emperors and empresses, thereby allowing the glory of their "authority" to emanate from within.