Imperial palaces
Classification
Painting
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Gift of Charles Lang Freer
Accession Number
F1909.223
Tags
About this artwork
To 1909
Art Historical Context
"Imperial Palaces" presents a majestic vision of Chinese imperial architecture, rendered in the distinctive blue-and-green style that has long symbolized elegance and harmony in Chinese painting Although once attributed to the Song-dynasty master Zhao Boju, scholars now date the work to the seventeenth century, placing it within the Ming or Qing dynasties. The composition invites viewers into a meticulously ordered cityscape of tiled roofs, courtyards, and towers, evoking the grandeur and stability of imperial power. This style relies on luminous mineral pigments—azurite for deep blues and ma...