“The taking of Xiebulu

“The taking of Xiebulu” the scene depicts parades and garrisons of soldiers, the attack and taking of fortifications in a lakeside landscape, accompanied by a poem by the Qianlong emperor. This work is an engraved reproduction made after the fifth engraving titled “The Taking of Xiebulu” (攻克協布嚕之圖, Gong ke Xiebulu zhi tu) belonging to the “Views of the Campaigns waged against the Gurkhas” series (平定廓爾喀戰圖, Ping ding Kuoerke zhan tu) comprising eight engravings, dated between 1793 and 1799. The series results from the collaboration of three artists, Chia Shih-ch’iu, Li Ming and Feng Ning, and was based on original drawings by Jesuit missionaries Giuseppe Castiglione, Jean-Denis Attiret, Ignace Sichelbart and Jean Damascene.

Prints depicting the battles of the Emperor of China were first produced in the form of chronicles by Jesuit missionaries then present at Court during the reign of Emperor Qianlong (reign 1736-1795). These representations, commissioned by the Emperor, were intended to praise his military exploits, particularly in his conquest of territories in Central Asia from 1755 to 1759, and to assert his power. Initially produced in the form of drawings by Jesuit artists, including Francois Joseph Castiglione and Jean-Denis Attiret, the designs were then sent by decree of the Emperor to Paris to be engraved and printed on copper plates under the direction of the artist Charles-Nicolas Cochin. The prints were then shipped to the Chinese Court. Subsequently, several series of military battles were commissioned by the Emperor, including “Vues des Campagnes menées contre les Gurkhas”, illustrating victories over the Gurkhas people in present-day Nepal. These engravings, printed in limited numbers, underwent numerous variations in the last quarter of the 18th century.

The set of eight original engravings belonging to the “Views of the Campaigns against the Gurkhas” series is on display at the Getty Research Institute (Los Angeles) under inventory number 2012.PR.33.

Dimensions: 85.5 x 49.2 cm (without frame)
124 x 86 cm (with frame)

Moisture stains. Framed under glass.