Portraits of Famous Figures Throughout Chinese History (Set of Two Volumes)

Author: Department of Conservation, Chinese History Museum
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-04-01
Features: What did the Three Emperors and Five Kings look like? Who were Laozi and Confucius? Were the empresses and concubines of emperors truly beautiful? Find out in this "Illustrated Collection of Famous Figures in Chinese History." However, you might be disappointed, as the illustrations are not as realistic as photographs—I always thought they all looked quite similar. Mr. Shi Shuqing, in the preface, mentions that most historical portraits were not taken from life but rather drawn or created by later generations. The authenticity of these images depends on the viewer's understanding. The illustrations in this book are mostly hand-drawn by painters from the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, covering figures from ancient times to the late Qing era. They are divided into four categories: Emperors and Empresses, Scholar-Officials and Martial Officials, Saints and Scholars, and Literary and Artistic Figures.
1. Except for the portrait of Lin Zexu, all the illustrations in this book are part of the cultural relics collection of the Chinese History Museum. Most are hand-drawn by painters from the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, with a few being ancient engravings, rubbings, and carved or sculpted figures.
2. The figures span from ancient times to the late Qing era.
3. The figures in this book are categorized by identity into four sections. Figures with multiple identities are placed in the section that best represents them.
4. The figures are arranged in chronological order by birth and death dates or dynasties. If birth years are the same, they are ordered by death years. Figures with unknown birth and death dates are placed according to their active periods.
5. This book does not include photographic reproductions or modern creative works of the figures.