This fan is a figure painting, the Chinese picture made to be unrolled or unpinned a section at a time rather than seen all at once. the Qing painter’s hand that made it assumed a viewer in motion.
The figures subject is the excuse. What the Qing dynasty (1644-1911 CE) painter sold was a way of looking, disciplined and unhurried.
The Qing imperial workshop treated every material as a field to be mastered, and the Qianlong reign in particular collected the world’s techniques as a record of rule.
A fan like this was made to be handed on, not framed forever. The figure painting still asks you to slow down, which is the whole point.
Object details
| Name | Figure painting fan (清人戏剧人物成扇) |
|---|---|
| Artefact no. | 新00136620 |
| Technique | Figure painting (人物) |
| 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.