Twelve women, each alone in a furnished room, caught between a glance at the viewer and a return to their own thoughts.
The Twelve Beauties are court paintings long attributed to the circle of the Yongzheng emperor, possibly after his own designs. They are remarkable for treating interior space and objects, a vase, a zither, a lattice window, with the same care as the figure, turning domestic detail into mood.
The Palace Museum in Beijing holds the complete set of twelve. Whether portraits or ideals, they remain the most intimate large-scale paintings the Qing court left of women in private.
Object details
| Name | Twelve Beauties (十二美人图) |
|---|---|
| Artefact no. | — |
| Technique | Ink and colour on silk |
| Period | Qing dynasty, Yongzheng reign (18th c.) |
| Collection | The Palace Museum, Beijing |
| Source | 北京故宫博物院 |
Images: Wikimedia Commons (public domain). © The Palace Museum, Beijing.