The Mirrored Summer: One or Two?—The Multiple Selves of the Qianlong Emperor

This lecture specially invites Dr. Zhao Yanzhe, a postdoctoral fellow at the Palace Museum and researcher at the Beijing Academy of Fine Arts, to explore how the “self” and “superego” of the Qianlong Emperor are manifested in art history, as well as their relationship with the painting “Is It One or Two?”.

Emperor Qianlong was the longest-living emperor in Chinese history and also the one with the longest actual reign. His rule was marked by both cultural achievements and military accomplishments. As the supreme ruler, his primary activities revolved around state governance, yet as an individual, he also sought to express his personal image and tastes. The emperor’s image was primarily conveyed through imperial portraits, among which his antique-style leisure portraits are particularly distinctive. These works, based on ancient paintings collected by the Qing court, incorporate realistic portraits of Qianlong into historical scenes—a novel form of court painting unprecedented in previous dynasties. This genre of painting spanned Qianlong’s entire life, from youth to old age, depicting him in various roles. From these works, one can glimpse how Qianlong understood and constructed his own image.