The Victory Banquet: 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

The Victory Banquet: from Battle Scenes of the Quelling of Rebellions in the Western Regions, with Imperial Poems is a 1770 by Unknown, a Romanticism work, depicting Qianlong Reign, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.

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

About this work

You see soldiers feasting under a tent, generals bowing to the emperor, and rows of captured weapons stacked like firewood. This print is one of a set the emperor ordered to celebrate a military win. He even wrote a poem on each one—like a royal tweet thread. The weapons aren’t just props; they’re real trophies from the fight. Look up the Qing dynasty (1644–1911) to see more of these victory stories.

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.