This album is a ink, 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.
A handscroll rewards the journey; The 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 album like this was made to be handed on, not framed forever. The ink still asks you to slow down, which is the whole point.
Object details
| Name | A collection of six great masters in the early Qing Dynasty (清初六大家集册) |
|---|---|
| Artefact no. | 新00147451-7/12 |
| 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.