Chinese landscape paintings are deservedly famous worldwide. But Chinese portraits are relatively unknown even though they have a history of 2,500 years.
The National Palace Museum in Taipei has a collection of many outstanding portraits of emperors, empresses, generals, officials, sages and writers. The paintings have a high artistic and historical value since they allow the modern scholar to see for himself the ancient dress styles, ornaments and background scenery which give the best indication of the customs of the time.
Emperor Tai-tsung of the Tang Dynasty Receives Counsel is one of the best portraits in the collection, measuring 40 in. by 20 in. Tai-tsung was well known in foreign countries as well as in China, and the portrait shows him consulting with advisors as was his custom before making a decision. The Museum has three paintings of this emperor, and since they all bear a similar likeness, it is probable that they are authentic.
Another portrait shows Emperor Hsuan-tsung of the Ming Dynasty on horseback. Measuring 27 in. by 33 in., this picture of the emperor riding out to shoot wild geese is different from most of the portraits in the museum collection. The image of the galloping horse with the emperor sitting astride looks somehow unnatural. This may be because artists of the time were not accustomed to painting a figure from the side view.
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