|
The Qing Dynasty was founded in Manchuria in
1644, following the decline of the Ming Dynasty.
The rulers of the Manchu Dynasty – as it became
known – were not indigenous Chinese, but were
descended from the Jurchens, natives of eastern
Russia and the steppe region. The formation of
the Qing was preceded by a grey area known as
the Later Jin period, as a minor leader named
Nurhaci escalated a series of minor tribal
squabbles into unification and eventually all-out
war with the then rulers of the Chinese state. He
moved his capital to be closer to the Mongols,
with whom he formed alliances; he thus
protected himself from attack on that border,
exploited their superb archers, and further
expanded his power base against the Ming. His
son (Hung Taiji) succeeded him as Khan, and
following a rather erratic start, followed on his
father’s successes to crush Ming forces in a
series of battles from 1640 to 1642 for the
territories of Songshan and Jingzhou. He died in
1643, passing the new title of emperor to his 5-
year-old son, Fulin. The last Ming emperor –
Chongzhen – committed suicide as Beijing fell to
rebel forces, which then fought the Qing for
control. Fulin – renamed emperor Shunzhi – was
placed on the throne as the Son of Heaven,
although it was not until the 1680’s that all of
China was united under the Manchu banner.
The Manchu Dynasty lasted for about 350 years,
and only crumbled with the definitive end of
imperial China and the hands of the Xinhai
revolution in 1912. During this time, China
became highly internalised, with notable
stratification of social classes and suppression of
ethnic diversity (including the forced wearing of
a queue). The arts of this period are among the
most ornate and studied of China’s long history,
and artists were a major part of court life. They
were particularly well known for their naturalistic
painting, calligraphy, printing and reissuing of
(censored) works by classical authors. The
influence of western art – brought by traders –
infiltrated various areas of Qing art in the 18th
century, especially in painting and architecture
(i.e. the Summer Palace). Ceramics for export –
notably at the Jingdezhen porcelain kilns –
became a major avenue of expression in the later
periods, and were the main source of Europe’s
18th century mania for Chinoiserie.
This large pair of wooden acupunctures models
would have been used by medical students
during their academic training. The figures, one
male and one female, are covered with tiny holes,
inlaid with metal, where the students would have
practiced their technique of accurately placing
the acupuncture needles. Painted labels name
the specific points.
- (CK.0540)
|
