Imperial artistry

Joyful Leisure: Calligraphy and Paintings by the Emperor Qianlong and His Court Officials, an exhibition being held at the Hall of Literary Glory (Wenhua Dian), presents over 100 of the finest works produced by the emperor, his close courtiers and other members of the royal family. More than half of the works have never been publicly displayed before.

"Emperor Qianlong's fondness for calligraphy and painting laid an important foundation for the development of the two art forms within the court," Zhao Ziru, curator of the exhibition, says. "He oversaw great achievements in the fields of landscape painting, works detailing birds and flowers, as well as the development of figure painting."

According to Zhao, the emperor also maintained the practice of reproducing model calligraphy and guided court calligraphers in their practice and large-scale development of this art.

Qianlong's taste for calligraphy and painting is perhaps best exemplified by Stone Moat, or Shiqu Baoji, a monumental 44-volume compilation that comprehensively catalogs the royal inventory of art works, and one that remains a crucial reference point for Chinese art history today.

In 1746, the emperor had a dedicated study－the Hall of the Three Rarities (Sanxi Tang)－built at his residence to display his three favorite works of calligraphy.