Artful Subversion: Empress Dowager Cixi's Image Making
This revelatory book shows how the influential and controversial Empress Dowager Cixi used art and architecture to establish her authority
 
Empress Dowager Cixi (1835–1908), who ruled China from 1861 until her death in 1908, is a subject of fascination and controversy, at turns vilified for her political maneuvering and admired for modernizing China. In addition to being an astute politician, she was an earnest art patron, and this beautifully illustrated book explores a wide range of objects, revealing how the empress dowager used art and architecture to solidify her rule.
 
Cixi’s art commissions were innovative in the way that they unified two distant conceptions of gender in China at the time, demonstrating her strength and wisdom as a monarch while highlighting her identity as a woman and mother. Artful Subversion examines commissioned works, including portrait paintings and photographs, ceramics, fashion, architecture, and garden design, as well as work Cixi created, such as painting and calligraphy. The book is a compelling study of how a powerful matriarch at once subverted and upheld the Qing imperial patriarchy.
1142262711
Artful Subversion: Empress Dowager Cixi's Image Making
This revelatory book shows how the influential and controversial Empress Dowager Cixi used art and architecture to establish her authority
 
Empress Dowager Cixi (1835–1908), who ruled China from 1861 until her death in 1908, is a subject of fascination and controversy, at turns vilified for her political maneuvering and admired for modernizing China. In addition to being an astute politician, she was an earnest art patron, and this beautifully illustrated book explores a wide range of objects, revealing how the empress dowager used art and architecture to solidify her rule.
 
Cixi’s art commissions were innovative in the way that they unified two distant conceptions of gender in China at the time, demonstrating her strength and wisdom as a monarch while highlighting her identity as a woman and mother. Artful Subversion examines commissioned works, including portrait paintings and photographs, ceramics, fashion, architecture, and garden design, as well as work Cixi created, such as painting and calligraphy. The book is a compelling study of how a powerful matriarch at once subverted and upheld the Qing imperial patriarchy.
50.0 In Stock
Artful Subversion: Empress Dowager Cixi's Image Making

Artful Subversion: Empress Dowager Cixi's Image Making

by Ying-chen Peng
Artful Subversion: Empress Dowager Cixi's Image Making

Artful Subversion: Empress Dowager Cixi's Image Making

by Ying-chen Peng

Hardcover

$50.00 
  • SHIP THIS ITEM
    In stock. Ships in 2-4 days.
  • PICK UP IN STORE

    Your local store may have stock of this item.

Related collections and offers


Overview

This revelatory book shows how the influential and controversial Empress Dowager Cixi used art and architecture to establish her authority
 
Empress Dowager Cixi (1835–1908), who ruled China from 1861 until her death in 1908, is a subject of fascination and controversy, at turns vilified for her political maneuvering and admired for modernizing China. In addition to being an astute politician, she was an earnest art patron, and this beautifully illustrated book explores a wide range of objects, revealing how the empress dowager used art and architecture to solidify her rule.
 
Cixi’s art commissions were innovative in the way that they unified two distant conceptions of gender in China at the time, demonstrating her strength and wisdom as a monarch while highlighting her identity as a woman and mother. Artful Subversion examines commissioned works, including portrait paintings and photographs, ceramics, fashion, architecture, and garden design, as well as work Cixi created, such as painting and calligraphy. The book is a compelling study of how a powerful matriarch at once subverted and upheld the Qing imperial patriarchy.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780300263435
Publisher: Yale University Press
Publication date: 01/24/2023
Pages: 208
Product dimensions: 8.00(w) x 10.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Ying-chen Peng is assistant professor of art history at American University.
From the B&N Reads Blog

Customer Reviews