A review of ‘China: The Three Emperors 1662–1795’, Royal Academy (2005)
Qing Dynasty scroll painting, landscapes, and scripts, at multiple perspectives and projections
I may be somewhat overwhelmed after absorbing this exhibition of such extraordinary richness, historical interest and crushingly lovely detail, but as I wander from the Royal Academy’s Three Emperors show into cold, dark late-afternoon London, I am almost struck dumb. I’ve never seen anything like this show. I suspect that London itself has rarely seen an exhibition of such sheer craft before, even given this world city’s position as a major cultural centre stretching back to the time much of this work emerges from.
The skill, scale and detail of these works is almost beyond comprehension. One room of these national treasures, many of which have never been sent abroad from the Palace Museum in Beijing before, would have been a treat in itself. However, we have twelve packed rooms of artworks to navigate, across numerous media.
The works induce a studious, rapt gaze so it’s worth finding a time to visit when attendee numbers will be low. The otherwise excellent catalogue can only fail to represent the physical beauty of the exhibition, given that photographic reproductions on the page simply cannot do justice to works…
