Jade Hall in Autumn Mountains
In 1744, the painter, poet, and member of the prestigious Hanlin Academy Zhang Pengzhong was summoned by the Qianlong Emperor to his summer palace, the Yuanmingyuan, located outside of the capital city of Beijing. The trip was the culmination of Zhang’s official career, and he painted this hanging scroll to commemorate his stay at the palace.
Zhang was particularly taken by the grounds of the imperial park, and his rustic scene may even depict a group of three islands in the park’s Fuhai Lake. If so, the interplay between the painting’s inscription and the composition is a compelling record not only of what Zhang felt, but also, perhaps, what he saw during his remarkable visit. However, this remains unclear since the palace was destroyed by French and English troops in 1860.
Artist’s Inscription
In the Jiazi year of the Qianlong reign (1744–45), in the first month of autumn (8 August–6 September 1744), I was in attendance to the Emperor and stayed overnight at Yuanmingyuan. In the palace chamber in which the Hanlin Academy is received by the Emperor, I ‘wrote' this painting of Jade Hall in Autumn Mountains.
Artist’s Poem
In the pure, clear autumn light I painted with respect
In the imperial park as if in Penghu Paradise.
Yet when will I ever be appointed You Xuan Shi
So I can depict the famous mountains and
Five Peak’s?
