Giuseppe Castiglione, Fang Congcong and Thin Line Poetic Map Axis

[Giuseppe Castiglione and Fang Cong’s thin line poetic image axis]

The thin line poetic image axis, Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty, Giuseppe Castiglione and Fang Cong’s paintings, silk, color, 424cm in length and 348.5cm in width
This painting bears the inscription “Cong Bo Xing was ruled by the emperor, and his ministers were granted official orders in Min Zhong.”
At the beginning of the 17th century, the leaders of the Hui tribe in Xinjiang, Da, Xiao, and Zhuo Mu, split up, and their rebellious actions were resolutely suppressed by the Emperor Qianlong. At the same time, the Brute tribe, adjacent to the Hui tribe, sent envoys to meet the Emperor Qianlong to show their obedience to the Qing government. On the third day of September in the 23rd year of Qianlong’s reign (1758), Brute’s envoy arrived at the Mulan Azige paddock to pay tribute to the Emperor Qianlong who was hunting there. Their surrender undoubtedly weakened the anti Qing forces of the Hezhuomu brothers, and played a positive role that cannot be underestimated in promoting the Qing army’s encirclement and suppression of the Hui tribe. Therefore, Emperor Qianlong attached great importance to their surrender, not only offering banquets, admiring lanterns, and watching fireworks many times in the villa, but also making an exception to allow these unexposed envoys to accompany them into Beijing
According to the book “Cong Bo Xing” written by Yu Minzhong for Emperor Qianlong, this picture depicts the scene of Emperor Qianlong receiving Brute’s envoys after hunting in the paddock, when Sauron bodyguard Bedor presented the young tiger captured alive with his bare hands to him. The scene in this picture is grand, complex, and detailed. Emperor Qianlong, who was 48 years old at the time, sat on a horse with an arched bag on his back, with a dignified appearance. The envoys from Brute stood aside in awe. Emperor Qianlong and his envoys have the characteristics of portraits, which are important materials for studying the court history and ethnic history of the Qing Dynasty. This picture is a work by Emperor Qianlong, who subdued the four directions with his national prestige and praised the bravery of the bodyguards. It was once hung on the east wall of the Tinghong Building at the Yingtai in the West Garden