The painting is ink, and the medium decides the pace. Ink and colour on silk or paper ask to be read slowly, the eye led rather than struck.
The painting carries the Qing habit of quotation: old masters borrowed, not copied. The picture is a conversation across centuries, and the ink keeps it polite.
The Qing court collected pictures as proof of cultivation. A painting on the wall or in the hand said the owner knew how to look, which was its own kind of power.
The picture is a small school in looking. Sinocra keeps it in view with more from The Palace Museum, and the shop carries the craft forward.
Object details
| Name | People from the Qing Dynasty painted images of people having fun during the New Year in Hongli (清人画弘历岁朝行乐图像) |
|---|---|
| Artefact no. | 故00006506 |
| Technique | Ink |
| Period | Qing dynasty (1644-1911 CE) |
| Collection | The Palace Museum, Beijing |
| Source | Palace Museum Digital Collection (数字文物库) |
Image © The Palace Museum. View the original in the Palace Museum Digital Collection.