Khan of Bada Shan Presenting Tribute: from Battle Scenes of the Quelling of Rebellions in the Western Regions, with Imperial Poems

1770

From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art

Romanticism 18th Century History Painting Qianlong Reign

Dominant colour

Khan of Bada Shan Presenting Tribute: from Battle Scenes of the Quelling of Rebellions in the Western Regions, with Imperial Poems is a 1770 by Jean Damascene Sallusti, a Romanticism work, depicting Qianlong Reign, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.

Who painted this?: Jean Damascene Sallusti
When & what style?: 1770 · Romanticism
Where can I see it?: Cleveland Museum of Art

About this work

This painting shows a kneeling man handing gifts to a seated man in robes. A crowd watches behind them. The kneeling man wears a tall fur hat, while the seated man holds a brush and paper. The artist mixed traditional Chinese art with European etching styles. Emperor Qianlong added poems to these images to celebrate his military wins. His portraits often look like this. See how the robes fold and light hits the faces?

The story of this work

Overview

This set of etchings was commissioned by Emperor Qianlong to record in pictorial terms the courage of his generals and soldiers in quelling the rebellions in the Western Regions. Qianlong added his own poem to each of the etchings, indicating his appreciation and pride in this demonstration of military might. "Western Regions" refers to the present-day Xingjiang province, often described in Western writing as "Central Asia."

Read the full account in the museum source.