Celebrating art’s unique power to promote understanding and progress across cultures, Sotheby’s and Citi Private Bank are partnering to present 5 episodes of Most Famous Artworks.
In this episode of Most Famous Artworks in the World, discover the extraordinary portrait the Qianlong Emperor from 1791 that melds Western painting techniques with the traditional Chinese aesthetic of stillness. This late painting of the Emperor - still majestic in his 80s - was a late punctuation to a lifetime series of court portraits completed in the formal shengrong style, in which the Emperor is portrayed straight on in a serene pose. A masterpiece of Qing dynasty art, it is also emblematic of how China’s imperial past continues to enthrall modern Western audiences.
