Treasures from the Forbidden City

Interior Scene
In the Supreme Chamber of Cultivating Harmony is this wall painting of a richly dressed palace woman and her attendant surrounded by boisterous children. The relatively deep illusionistic space of the room they occupy indicates the influence of European artists at the Emperor's court who trained their Chinese counterparts in the Western techniques of spatial perspective. The small inset paintings on the panels that border the room on three sides, as well as the paintings visible within the room, are all the work of notable Chinese artists, each working in his characteristic style, who produced and signed each one separately.

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