How to describe the Queen elegantly? There was also a "clean red face" in ancient times! ~Today’s interesting historical series brings you a new interpretation~

For painters of different dynasties, due to the limitations of aesthetics and technology at that time, the portraits painted by the concubines of a dynasty were different in landscape and composition. Basically the same. If you cover your face, you may not be able to tell who is who.

There are many portraits of queens and concubines handed down from generation to generation, but at first glance, it seems that they are seeing "famous faces on the Internet" and it is difficult to tell who is who. Why is there such an illusion?

For painters from different dynasties, due to the aesthetic and technical limitations of the time, the portraits painted by the concubines of a dynasty are basically the same in landscape and composition. If you cover your face, you may not be able to tell who is who.

There is a Nanxun Hall in the southwest corner of the Forbidden City, which is basically symmetrical with the cabinet and imperial guards on the east side of the palace. Nanxun Guild Hall is the only building here called a Guild Hall.

Nanxun Pavilion in the Qing Dynasty specially collected figures from past dynasties, mainly emperors. These ancient sages, emperors, queens, heroes, and celebrities are all stored in the inner library of the Ming Dynasty. Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty specially decorated it and moved it to Nanxun Hall. The portraits of the Ming Dynasty emperors were initially stored in the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, and during the Qianlong period were also stored in the West Room of Nanxun Hall.

There are a large number of portraits collected here, including most emperors from Han to Tang, all emperors and queens after Song, sages including Confucius, Han Yu and Zhu, and famous figures including Zhuge Liang. Chen, as well as literati including Li Bai and Du Fu.

From the paintings in Nanxun Pavilion, we can see many portraits of queens after the Song Dynasty. We also learned how to elegantly draw portraits of empresses in the Song Dynasty palace.

The National Palace Museum in Taipei collects the portrait of Empress Renzong of Song Dynasty.

Let us take a look at this famous statue of Queen Song Renzong of the Song Dynasty. The Five Dynasties and Song Dynasties were the first to advocate thin fashion. In this regard, the portrait of Empress Cao Renzong of the Song Dynasty provides a good example for future generations. The court paintings of the Song Dynasty are famous for their authenticity and exquisiteness. This portrait of Empress Renzong is dominated by the empress, and the two maids are separated from each other, forming a master-slave relationship. Judging from the overall posture, the three women in the photo are very thin, especially the queen. She seemed to exaggerate her overall image, showing an obvious master-servant relationship, with maids on both sides.

All three women’s styles feature straight collars that accentuate the length of the neck. Coupled with the waist-cinching effect of the belt and the natural drooping of the clothes, the character looks slim and energetic, noble yet royal. Queens and maids all over the world were selected from tens of millions of people and represented the ultimate beauty of human beings in that era. The "thin beauty" shown in the photos should be the beauty standard of that era.

So, what you see is a painting. In fact, behind this is the aesthetics of that era. To paint a portrait of the Queen, she must be a representative of world aesthetics and the most beautiful and noble woman in the world. This kind of beauty is not necessarily the beauty of the face, but the overall impression.

The most striking thing is that their heads are covered with flowers. As long as women in the Song Dynasty had some financial resources and status, they would wear various crowns and tie their hair in a bun. There were many styles of crowns in the Song Dynasty, some were extremely exaggerated, and some were even as high as two or three feet. Wearing a crown is not enough. In addition to flowers, moths and snow willows are also popular. So when painting, be sure to draw a clear picture of the crown. The more luxurious and complex the painting, the more noble the queen.

The National Palace Museum in Taipei collects the portrait of Empress Shizu of the Yuan Dynasty.

Looking at the portraits of the Yuan Dynasty, there are many national colors. Empress Shizu of the Yuan Dynasty is like the opening chapter of the "Busts of the Yuan Dynasty" album at the National Palace Museum in Taipei. Today's mounting form should be the result of self-assembly during the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty.

The oboe of Queen Sejo of the Yuan Dynasty in the painting was later named Chapi Hongjiji and officially named Queen Cho Ruishunsheng. The prominent feature of the portraits of Empress Dowager Cixi in the Yuan Dynasty is the chest portrait, while the portraits of Empress Dowager Cixi in other dynasties are complete human body portraits. This may be due to the difference in aesthetic quality between the Mongolian and Han nationalities. The faces of the figures are carefully baked and dyed, while the third dimension is rubbed in for subtle colors. Some researchers believe that this exquisite dyeing technique may be related to Xia Yan, a painter from southwest China, especially Nepal. According to records, Xia Yan once painted a portrait of Guan Ren and Queen Guan. While it is uncertain whether this is the painting, there is no doubt that their style originated here.

In the statue of Queen Shizu of the Yuan Dynasty, the queen's hat is very conspicuous, accounting for almost half of the picture. This hat is called "Crown". The origin of the original name "Kukule" is rarely recorded. Qiu Chuji of the Yuan Dynasty thought that there was a cluster of bird feathers on the top of "Tuanzi", so he came up with the sound of "Tuanzi". The Jurchens also called this beast "ox", thus inferring the "ox" and "taking beast" in the Yuan Dynasty.

As for the structure of the "staggered crown", it is divided into upper and lower parts, that is, the upper part is a long tube with a slightly wider top, made of birch, willow branches or iron wire, and then velvet, brocade, Silk and other parcels. outside the fetal skeleton. The crown is decorated with rare bird feathers, such as jade beads or golden roosters, and the front center of the damaged part of the crown is usually inlaid with dazzling pearls and green. The lower part is a scratch on the forehead, very delicate in this painting.

In addition, the Queen's "straight eyebrows" are also very distinctive. Don't underestimate this detail. This eyebrow shape is not only long and thin, but also flat.

It has been circulated for a long time in the Yuan Dynasty and is a unique decoration for Mongolian women. The usual approach is to shave off the natural eyebrows first, and then draw slender "straight eyebrows".

As for the clothing style of Mongolian noble women, it is obviously influenced by the clothing of Han women. In this portrait, the queen's clothes are bright red, which was the most expensive in the Yuan Dynasty. The colors of clothing also symbolize different social classes. The most distinguished classes wore red and purple clothes, the middle class wore cyan and green clothes, and ordinary people were only allowed to wear dark brown clothes.

So, for the portrait of Queen Yuan, we must understand the specific structure of the "interlaced crown" with Mongolian national characteristics, and cannot just draw a pole foolishly. I also know the popular eyebrow shapes at that time and what colors the nobles wore at that time.

Empress Ren Xiaowen from the Ming Dynasty is in the collection of the National Palace Museum in Taipei.

Nanxun Temple also has a batch of busts of Empress Ming, divided into two volumes. The first volume has 10 pictures, including Taizu Gaozong and Empress Xiaoci, Taizong Wenzong and Empress Ren Xiaowen, Renzong and Empress Renzong, Xuanzong and Empress Xuanzong, Yingzong and Empress Yingzong, now and now, Xiaozong and Xiaozong, Wuzong and Wuzong.

She was the princess of Ren Xiaowen and Zhu Di when she was the emperor, and the eldest daughter of Sun Yat-sen and Xu Sen, the founding hero. Zhu Di became the queen after she was declared the emperor. He has a noble character. Yongle died of illness in the fifth year and was demoted to Queen Ren Xiaowen. After that, Judy no longer conferred the title of Queen.

Compared with the emperor's portrait, the queen's portrait has more beautification factors, such as beautiful appearance, dignified behavior and stylized style. However, the clothes on the crown are still realistic, which can understand the crown system at that time.

That’s right. Only by understanding the royal service system at that time can we know why the queen painted what kind of clothes.

The queens of the Ming Dynasty wore formal dresses and Guanfeng when receiving books, visiting temples and gatherings. This crown is decorated with jade. There are four phoenixes in Kowloon, twelve big flowers, and twelve small flowers. The two temples are decorated with twelve cymbals. Later, people decided to put a big bead in the dragon's mouth, cover the crown with a layer of green skin, and hang a bead knot on the crown. The crown is inlaid with forty pearls, green clouds and countless beads, and the temple is decorated with golden dragons and green clouds.

There are two types of clothes, one is cotton clothes and the other is Zhai clothes. The divine clothes are dark blue, painted, and red, with five colors and twelve colors; the cuffs have red ribbed collars; the big belt and clothes are decorated in the same color; green socks and horses. Zhai Yi is dark blue with Zhai Yi pattern and small round flowers. The collar, cuffs and hem are all decorated in red. Wearing jade belts, ribbons and jade pendants. The uniforms of empresses in the Ming Dynasty were very elegant, including phoenix crowns, lower official posts, and jade belts. These must be carefully reflected in the paintings, including the embroidery on the clothes, and must be consistent with the distinguished status of the parties.

On the other hand, the entry of Western missionaries made Chinese paintings more realistic, reflected in people's faces. Compared with the previous dynasties, later generations can see the queen's face more clearly, and can also have a general imagination of the character's appearance.

The Palace Museum has the "Portrait of Empress Xiaozhuang" from the Qing Dynasty.

In the Qing Dynasty, perspective became more obvious in Western paintings. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the introduction of Western art had a positive significance for the development of Chinese art. Chiaroscuro and focus perspective enriched the expression techniques of Chinese painting. Later Chinese painting also absorbed some elements of Western painting to varying degrees. However, due to being limited to the Forbidden City, it failed to have a broad impact on the Chinese painting world.

In the photo, Empress Xiaozhuangwen is wearing gorgeous clothes and sitting on the throne, solemn and solemn. The face absorbs Western painting techniques and has a strong three-dimensional effect. The Phoenix chair and rug are not yet in focus perspective. The brushwork is delicate and the colors are much richer than in previous generations.

Lao Xiaozhuang was wearing beautiful clothes and sitting on the Phoenix Chair. She looks solemn and dignified, and the dignity and beauty of her youth can be vaguely seen.

Queens of the Qing Dynasty dressed strictly according to the hierarchy. The clothes they wear are bulky and can better reflect many of the old customs of Manchu clothing. Take the queen's costume as an example, including Chao Guan, Chao Fu, Chao Gua, etc.

In addition to the three-layered golden phoenix decorated on the top of the center, the Queen's crown is also decorated with seven golden phoenixes and a golden palace by Zhu Wei. The golden village at the back is decorated with beads hanging from the back of the head.

There are obvious differences between the queen's robe and the emperor's robe: there are edges on the shoulders where the robe is worn, the collar and sleeves are stone blue, there are no decorations in the twelve chapters, and the decorative dragon patterns are distributed too. no the same.

Royal robes are dresses worn by queens and noble women on ceremonial occasions such as ceremonies and sacrifices. The robes of concubines in the Qing Dynasty can be roughly divided into three types: the robes of the empress dowager, queen, and concubines have five-clawed golden dragon patterns; the robes of concubines, concubines, and concubines have five-clawed python patterns. There is only one style of the Golden Prince's dress, decorated with python skin.

The clothes of Empress Dowager Cixi and Empress Dowager Cixi are exactly the same. The imperial concubine's clothes were slightly inferior. The robes for concubines and below are all golden, and other accessories are downgraded.

During the Qianlong period, thanks to the contributions of foreign painters such as Castiglione Castiglione, the queen's portraits had a complete set of standards.

The Queen of Filial Piety and New Year's Day is collected in the Qing Palace Museum

Speaking of Emperor Qianlong's queen, this filial queen must be mentioned. Fucha, the filial queen, was the concubine of Emperor Qianlong. In the second year of Qianlong's reign, she was made queen and was favored by Qianlong. This painting was painted at the beginning of Qianlong's succession.

The painter grasped Focha's identity, temperament and image characteristics, and painted him in detail, expressing the elegance, beauty, dignity and self-confidence of Focha's mother.

The most obvious feature of this work is that the author made full use of the principles of focused perspective and techniques of Western painting to fully express the texture, decoration and perspective depth of the objects in the picture. For example, the seated throne, carpet, sleeves, and robe all have a strong sense of empty perspective, while the shawls, cuffs, and black fluff on the edges of the robe have a strong wool texture, and the silk texture and ribbons of the robe are also full. Especia

At the same time, portraits are also processed in accordance with Chinese aesthetic habits and the concepts of oriental painting. If frontal image processing is used, it cleverly avoids having to depict the shadow part of the picture due to light and shadow. Using frontal illumination image processing is also in line with the aesthetic psychology of the Chinese people. "Portrait of Empress Gan" should be regarded as one of the most successful examples of the transformation of Western painting since China first came into contact with Western painting.

This portrait is also very unique in its layout and color. The basic color tone is yellow, and the yellow robe, throne, carpet, and yellow silk basically support the entire picture, because the basic color is empty. Red takes second place, and black and green are slightly embellished. The picture will not be too simple due to a single tone. The red pattern of the carpet, the red hat and beads, the yellow background, the green throne, the black edges of the black shawl, the black edges of the cufflinks, the brim of the hat and the robe all enclose, decorate and unify the picture from different angles. It makes the picture rich in color but not chaotic, and does not show the feeling of being forced by the cold, thus obtaining a bright, beautiful, fresh, neat and gorgeous picture effect.

Judging from the imperial robe portraits of emperors during the Qianlong period, most of these portraits do not have the names of the artists. The reason is that the palaces are full of portraits of emperors or queens, and it is a very humble job to be a painter. To show respect for the emperor and empress, painters were generally not allowed to sign these royal gowns.

However, judging from its various forms, styles, techniques and Qianlong's appreciation of Lang Shining's portraits, most of the portraits of emperors and empresses in the early years of Qianlong were created by Lang Shining. These portraits have some obvious common features: the author is familiar with the anatomy, the facial features are in accurate proportions to the characters, the characters' faces are slightly brighter and slightly darker, and the front light source is always used without projection. The Western highlight method is kept under plain light, and the facial description is positive, clear, and soft; the colors are bright and harmonious, indicating that it has the basis of color difference; the description of facial skin and clothing fabrics shows a strong texture and physical sense; in addition to being very realistic , the painting methods of props, thrones, and carpets are all more obvious than the previous one.

Interestingly, Qianlong asked Castiglione to paint a portrait of his queens, and the final result was basically similar to the queens, except for their facial details. This is probably a helpless move. After all, wherever there are women, there will be comparisons.

After the emperor ascended the throne, the concubines were like "writing plans calmly".

It can be seen that how to draw the queen in the palace is not only an art, but also a knowledge!