A Portrait of Emperor Yongzheng in Western Suit

This half-length portrait of Emperor Yongzheng in a Western suit, color on paper, was mounted with a wooden frame and glass.

Yongzheng was the fifth emperor of the Qing Dynasty and the third after the Qing empire moved its capital to Beijing. During his reign, Emperor Yongzheng reformed the government institutions and bureaucratic system and quelled rebellions in the frontiers, laying a sound foundation for political and economic development. He loved cosplay and often ordered court painters to depict his portraits as various identities, such as a Taoist, farmer, lama, and hunter, among others.

In this portrait, he wears a wig permed into small curls, a pale-blue scarf around his neck, and a dark-green coat. The portrait features mineral pigments of traditional Chinese painting, but its style was influenced by the realistic techniques of Western painting. In particular, the detailed patterns of the clothes including the six buttons were vividly depicted, and even the mole on the emperor's chin was clearly portrayed.

The reign of Emperor Yongzheng roughly corresponded with that of King Louis XV of France. Back then, China and France engaged in frequent trade and cultural exchange. This portrait of a Chinese emperor dressed in European-style costume epitomizes the interactions between China and France in the 17th and 18th centuries, testifying to the exchange and mutual learning between Eastern and Western civilizations at the time.

《雍正洋裝像》

《雍正洋裝像》為半身像，畫面為紙本設色，使用木框玻璃屏裝裱。

雍正皇帝是中國清朝第五位皇帝，入關定都北京后的第三位皇帝。雍正皇帝在位期間，對內改革清廷的機構和吏制，對外平定邊疆叛亂，打下了良好的政治和經濟基礎。他還酷愛扮裝，常命畫師將自己的各種形象描繪入畫，如道士、農夫、喇嘛、獵手等。這幅畫像中，他頭戴燙成小卷的假發，頸部系淡藍領巾，著深綠外衣。此畫使用中國畫礦物顏料，風格卻受西洋畫寫實手法影響，尤其衣服的花紋細節，甚至六顆紐扣，都清晰而且精致，甚至雍正皇帝下巴上的痣也描繪得細致入微。

雍正皇帝在位的同時期為法王路易十五執政，中法貿易與文化交流依然頻繁。這幅身著歐式服裝的中國皇帝像，是17—18世紀中法兩國交流往來的縮影，見證了這一時期東西方文明的交流互鑒。