Two Paintings of Deer Antlers

Qianlong Emperor

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Qianlong Emperor practiced both calligraphy and painting as a way of identifying himself with Chinese literati ideals of self-cultivation. However, the subject matter of these two scrolls reveals his concomitant desire to align himself with Manchu hunting traditions. Furthermore, the realistic rendering of texture and three-dimensional form reflects the influence of Western pictorial techniques, introduced to the court by Jesuit painters such as Giuseppe Castiglione (1688–1766). The earlier of the two scrolls depicts the antlers of a spotted deer. In his accompanying inscription, the emperor recalls seeing a gigantic pair of eight-point antlers procured by his grandfather, the Kangxi Emperor (r. 1661–1722), in Central Asia—considered at the time to be an auspicious sign. The second scroll, painted five years later, presents the horns of a species known in the West as Père David, so named for the eponymous Jesuit missionary and naturalist (1826–1900) who first recorded it in a Western source. In his accompanying essay, Qianlong describes different deer species and seeks to correct misleading distinctions made in the Book of Rites, a classic Confucian text.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.

Metropolitan Museum of Art