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HOME :
Chinese Art :
Qing Dynasty (Ching) : Standing Wooden Figure
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Standing Wooden Figure - PF.5159
Origin: China
Circa: 1644
AD
to 1911
AD
Dimensions:
14.25" (36.2cm) high
Collection: Chinese Art
Medium: Wood
$7,500.00
Location: United States
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| Description |
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The M’ing, founded in 1368 under the peasant emperor Hong Wu, was
a militarily oriented socio-political entity much given to radical
interpretations of Confucianism and with a very strong defensive ethos
(the Great Wall dates to this period). However by the 17th century cracks
had started to appear, young male heirs being manipulated as puppets
by the ruling families, and the court became rotten with intrigue. To
compound matters, the Manchurian Chinese cities were being attacked
by local groups – dubbed the Manchus – who eventually invaded China
and deposed the old regime. The last M’ing emperor, Chongzhen,
hanged himself on Coal Hill overlooking the Forbidden City, bringing an
end to his line and ushering in the Q’ing Dynasty.
The Q’ing had been founded by Nurhaci in the early 17th century, and
persisted until the collapse of imperial China in 1912 with the hapless
Pu-Yi, the last emperor of China. Their isolationist policies, social
control (all men required to shave their heads, wear queues, and wear
Manchu rather than traditional Chinese dress) introspection and cultural
conservatism was at odds with their liberality in certain social issues –
such as forbidding the binding of women’s feet (later withdrawn due to
social pressure from the populace). However, this cultural inflexibility –
which grew as the emperors grew increasingly unaware of the world
outside their palace walls, much less the country’s borders – was a
difficult stance to maintain in the shadow of the European
thalassocracies, and it may have been this which helped hasten the
demise of the Imperial system.
- (PF.5159)
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