fromThe Art Newspaper - International art news and events
7 months agoFrom silk murals to jade inlays: Forbidden City's Qianlong Garden reopens after 25-year conservation project
The garden, built between 1771 and 1776, features 27 buildings across four courtyards-with elaborate decorations and furnishings throughout. The buildings are exemplars of 18th-century Chinese imperial design, reflecting a period when the Qing court incorporated European aesthetic influences and techniques such as the trompe l'oeil, introduced by artists such as Italy's Giuseppe Castiglione. The garden was largely closed off during the 20th century, leaving its original furnishings, finishes, and decorative arts largely untouched.