PHOTO: © Unbekannte chinesische und europäische Hofmaler, Die Schlacht von Qurman (Fragment), Detail, Qing-Dynastie (1644 – 1911), Qianlong Ära (1736 – 1795), 1760, Hängerolle © Leihgabe eines Privatsammlers
Die Ziguangge: Halle des Purpurglanzes. Veranstaltungsort, Heldengalerie und Kriegsschauplatz
In the organizer's words:
As early as 2,000 years ago, the emperors of China commissioned portraits of loyal officials and generals. This exhibition features depictions of distinguished officers commissioned by the Qianlong Emperor (reigned 1736–1795) for display in the Ziguangge Hall of Fame to demonstrate his power and legitimacy. In the 20th century, they were taken as spoils of war on two separate occasions.
The Ziguangge is located next to the Forbidden City in Beijing and is a two-story pavilion. During the reign of the Qianlong Emperor (r. 1736–1795), the hall served as a venue for military rituals and banquets and housed battle scenes depicting the emperor’s military campaigns as well as portraits of distinguished officers.
During the brutal suppression of the Boxer Rebellion (Yihetuan) in 1900–01 by the multinational Eight-Nation Alliance—which included the Prussian military—the hall was looted and all 280 portraits were stolen. Many of the paintings also found their way into German collections. In 1945, the Soviet administration seized the paintings in the Berlin collection—some of which are shown here as black-and-white reproductions—as war booty; the original works remain in museums in Russia to this day.
Curator: The exhibition is curated by Birgitta Augustin.
Presented as part of the project “Traces of the ‘Boxer War’ in German Museum Collections —A Joint Approach” (2021–2024), project director: Christine Howald, Central Archive, Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation, with the support of the Palace Museum, Beijing
A rotating exhibition by the Museum of Asian Art of the State Museums of Berlin at the Humboldt Forum
- Regular price: 14 EUR / 9 EUR starting July 13, 2026. Please book your ticket online or purchase it in the foyer of the Humboldt Forum.
- Location: Museum of Asian Art, 3rd floor, Room 320 “China and Europe”
- Languages: German, English
- Hours: Mon, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat, Sun: 10:30 a.m. – 6:30 p.m., Tue: closed
Location
Weitere Termine von Die Ziguangge: Halle des Purpurglanzes. Veranstaltungsort, Heldengalerie und Kriegsschauplatz
26.
Juni
10:30
Berlin
Humboldt Forum
7,00 to 14,00 €
28.
Juni
10:30
Berlin
Humboldt Forum
7,00 to 14,00 €
29.
Juni
10:30
Berlin
Humboldt Forum
7,00 to 14,00 €
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