CHINA - QIANLONG period (1736 - 1795) - Lot 175

CHINA - QIANLONG period (1736 - 1795) Large imperial panel in silk brocade (caizhi), woven with gold and polychrome threads on a dark blue background, depicting the Buddhist paradise. The upper part is decorated with goddesses playing music, the imperial emblems "sun" and "moon" and "Wu Liang Shou Zu Fo" (the name given by Qianlong to Amitayus) surrounded by stylized clouds. In the middle, the three Buddhas of the past, present and future sit on pedestals in the shape of a double inverted lotus, surrounded by their two disciples: Mahakashyapa and Ananda, eighteen arhats (including one representing Emperor Qianlong) and the four celestial kings (Tian Wang). The lower part is decorated with a wide band of lishui topped by swirling waves. The border features a jiu lian (nine lotuses) motif among foliage. (Small accidents and tears). H. 146 cm L. 73 cm Framed under glass Reference: a similar kesi panel decorates the ceiling of the Musée chinois de l'Impératrice at Château de Fontainebleau; a similar kesi panel is in the Tsinghua University Art Museum.