The artifacts in this exhibition were gathered from the private collections
of the Qing Dynasty Emperors (1674 - 1911). Governor Song Fatang, of Heilongjiang
Province, arranged the loan of the collection to the Museum in celebration of the
20th anniversary of twinning the province of Alberta and Heilongjiang province in
the Peoples Republic of China.
The Artifacts
The exhibition contained 57 rare artifacts. The artifacts and personal items
are from the collection of the Emperors of the Qing Dynasty, the imperial
family, and the imperial court. The collection included: Qing Dynasty court
garments, silk embroidery, jade wares, lacquered utensils and art and craft
items.
Chinese decorative arts have a long history dating from 8,000 years ago.
Artisans of the Qing Dynasty created some of the finest examples of these
arts.
Intriguing Artifacts
Extremely rare unfinished embroidered silk robe
This robe had never been exhibited in public. It is embroidered with the
twelve emblems of imperial power. Only the Emperor was allowed to
display all twelve of these symbols.
Painted Scroll of Chrysanthemums by Zou Yigui
Zou Yugui was a court painter and a high-ranking official. This painting
represents 100 different varieties of chrysanthemum. The scroll bears the
stamps of Emperors Qian Long, Jia Qing, and Xuan Tong. This masterpiece of
the Qing Dynasty is registered
in The Lost List of Paintings and Books From the Imperial Palace.
Manchu Shoes
Women of the imperial court often wore this style of shoe, with
its "horse's hoofed shaped" sole during the Qing dynasty.
The Chinese Emperors' Collection was exclusive to the Provincial
Museum of Alberta. The artifacts returned to China when the
exhibition ended.
![[Exhibition logo]](_icons/china.jpg){kind=icon}
