Ming Dynasty "Portrait"
Ming Dynasty "Portrait"
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Limited Edition: 45
Exhibition: Power and Glory: Court Arts of China's Ming Dynasty
Material: Printed vinyl
Dimensions: 35" x 72" (88cm x 182cm)
Hanging Hardware Included
Summary
During China's Ming dynasty (1368-1644) the royal court actively commissioned art that suited their tastes and furthered their ideals. This led to a resurgence in the quantity and quality of art produced in China, with many artists excelling as painters, sculptors, and jewelers. 45 banners are now available featuring a Ming prince in a vibrantly embroidered gold robe which brings life to his otherwise calm and placid face.
Description
These banners are offered for sale as a pair. The complete image spans two banners which, hung side-by-side, create an amazing diptych which covers a 6’ by 6’ space. Just place one (1) banner in your shopping cart, and you will receive two so you may display the banners as originally designed.
Featuring a stunning array of Ming Dynasty masterpieces, the exhibition Power and Glory: Court Arts of China's Ming Dynasty gave viewers a chance to see the true wealth, power, and pageantry of Ming rulers. Artists at the time generally followed court-dictated art styles and became known for their large-scale nature scenes of landscapes, fauna and flora, and figurative narratives. Ming rulers favored art that were glorified their image and conveyed the rulers’ kindness, generosity, and virtue.
This banner features a portrait of Zhu Youyuan in ceremonial dress, from the early 1520’s. Zhu Youyuan was a Prince during the reign of the Jiajing emperor (1522-1566), one of the emperors in the Ming dynasty line of succession which ultimately spanned three centuries. The original work is painted in richly colored inks on a hanging scroll made of silk. The image makes a striking presence on these banners, with large, bold text printed on the image itself. The lower part of the image darkens from a reddish to a deep brown-red color with the text in white. Large lettering on this side of the banner runs over onto the other side with the full text reading “MING/DYNASTY/ASIAN ART MUSEUM”.
The other side of the banner features the same ombre progression of color from red to brown-black. These banners were designed to hang side-by-side, with a pair of banners creating the full text, so the white lettering on this side completes the text from the front of the banner.
Provenance
These banners were displayed around San Francisco from June 27 through September 21, 2008 to promote the exhibition Power and Glory: Court Arts of China's Ming Dynasty at the Asian Art Museum. The exhibition was also seen at the Saint Louis Art Museum.