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When East Touched West: Chinese Art In French Courts

Two important figures the Kangxi emperor and Louis-XIV in the joint exhibition of the museum of the forbidden city of Beijing and the Palace of Versailles. (Photo Shen Yun Collecctions)

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By Akerele Christabel

October 18, 2024
6:02 pm
Los Angeles, CA

How the vestiges of history uncover the influence of Chinese art on the French aristocracy By the late 17th century, Europe had begun to set its sights on China, shifting its perception of the eastern empire from its previous view of it just being Marco Polo’s land of legends. That time period saw an increase in luxury goods, especially porcelain, heading to Europe. This saw both civilizations getting familiar with and learning to appreciate each other’s trademark goods, arts and cultures. This period of what could be called ‘respectful coveting’ created a golden age of collecting, involving the French royal court at Versailles and its Chinese counterpart, the imperial court in Beijing’s Forbidden City. King Louis XIV, in the 17th century, took the initiative to reach out to his

How the vestiges of history uncover the influence of Chinese art on the French aristocracy

By the late 17th century, Europe had begun to set its sights on China, shifting its perception of the eastern empire from its previous view of it just being Marco Polo’s land of legends. That time period saw an increase in luxury goods, especially porcelain, heading to Europe. This saw both civilizations getting familiar with and learning to appreciate each other’s trademark goods, arts and cultures.

This period of what could be called ‘respectful coveting’ created a golden age of collecting, involving the French royal court at Versailles and its Chinese counterpart, the imperial court in Beijing’s Forbidden City.

King Louis XIV, in the 17th century, took the initiative to reach out to his Eastern contemporary, Emperor Kangxi, establishing the foundations for a relationship built on mutual respect and trust. The newly found alliance was notably characterized by the despatch of French Jesuit fathers to China in 1685, who were admitted to the court in Peking as the King’s mathematicians. This special diplomatic situation, lasting till the 18th century, prepared the ground for the birth of modern Sinology in France.

This “truittée” porcelain vase, delivered in 1743 by the merchant Hébert for Louis XIV’s Versailles wardrobe, had previously been transformed by a bronzemaker into a perfume fountain. To this day, it is the only piece of Chinese porcelain well identified as having belonged to Louis XV. (Photo: Château de Versailles)

One finds the appreciation for Chinese art among the French aristocracy conspicuously shown in four main trends. They included importing of Chinese art pieces (objets d’art), altering some types of imported works – mostly by adding Chinese-styled gilt bronze mounts to porcelain items, or by using lacquered panels on pieces of French furniture, imitating Chinese products – trying to get to the bottom of making porcelain using kaolin, and responding to the massive influence Chinese art exerts on its French counterpart, especially in the decorative arts.

Porcelain perfume fountain: China, early Qianlong period (1736-1795). Gilt bronze: Paris, circa 1743. [detail] (Photo:Musée national des châteaux de Versailles et de Trianon)

French and Chinese craftsmanship also combine in a Palace Museum pocket watch. The 17th-century piece, made in Paris’s Thuret workshop, was most likely a gift to Emperor Kangxi from Louis XIV, whose portrait is featured on the back of the gold-plated copper case. Though French on the outside, on the inside an elaborate gold-plated dragon was inserted in China to protect the watch spring.

Fast forward to 2024, the Palace of Versailles and the Palace Museum in the Forbidden City have organized an exhibition which has exchanges between the France and China in the 17th and 18th centuries as the main event. This exhibition will mark the sixtieth anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the eastern and western hegemons, a diplomatic relation hammered out by General de Gaulle on 27th January, 2024, according to the context of the Franco-Chinese Year of Cultural Tourism.

Consecrated figure pocket watch with gilt copper case, from the exhibition in “The Forbidden City and Versailles – Sino-French Exchanges in the 17th and 18th Centuries” at the Museum of the Forbidden City in Beijing. (Photo: SOUQUE)

It brings together over 200 works, predominantly from the collections of the two museums, and takes a fresh look at a neglected area of history and its blend of science, diplomacy, trading, tastes of an era, know-how, and artistic creation.

An initial exhibition took place at the Palace of Versailles in 2014 to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the Franco-Chinese diplomatic relations. The 2024 exhibition, held in the Forbidden City, was hosted in a more extensive manner. This made it possible to display invaluable acquisitions the Palace of Versailles had added to its collections over the previous deA novel feature of the 2024 exhibition is that it also set works from Chinese and French collections in counterpoint. This dialogue juxtaposition reflected the interest which the two countries share for each others’ cultures.

Furthermore, scientific collaboration between the teams at Versailles and the Palace Museum has led to the rediscovery of objects which have not previously been exhibited, and has fostered a better understanding of this early history.

Room “The Encounter of the Dragon and the Lily.” in “The Forbidden City and Versailles – Sino-French Exchanges in the 17th and 18th Centuries” at the Museum of the Forbidden City in Beijing. (Photo: SOUQUE)

The exhibition demonstrate how Chinese art offered French artists and intellectuels a boundless source of inspiration in the fields of painting, objets d’art, interior decor, architecture, garden design, literature, music, and the sciences.

The works assembled in Beijing also demonstrate more broadly the genuine fascination of the court of Versailles and major French collectors for all things Chinese.

Teapot with handle and enamel chrysanthemum motif. Dating from 1783, France, Beijing, Palace Museum (Photo:© D-R/Château de Versailles)

A seal of the Chinese Emperor Kangxi was recently sold at auction on Saturday in Toulouse for 4.7 million euros to Chinese buyers, “a world record for a seal”, according to the auction’s organizers. Priced at 300,000 euros, this 17th century object was won by one or more Chinese buyers who increased the bidding by telephone. With the sale fees, its final price is 5.627 million euros.