Traditionally, historians have written off the last century of the Qing dynasty – when China was ruled by the Manchus from the northeast – as a period of decline, after a glorious 18th century. Yet, just a year after they were finished, Xuantong had abdicated, ending two millennia of dynastic rule. Rather, this portrait marks the Coronation of King George V and Queen Mary in 1911, which prompted China’s last emperor, Xuantong, to send a diplomatic gift that’s also included in China’s Hidden Century: an imposing pair of tall cloisonné vases, usually on display in Buckingham Palace.Įmblazoned with sinuous dragons hurtling with abandon against a backdrop of crashing turquoise waves, these vast vessels appear to epitomise Chinese imperial magnificence. No, not that one – although the robes and regalia look the same.
Near the beginning of the British Museum’s new exhibition, there’s a reproduction of a photo of the Coronation.