"Two pages of \"The Illustrated Regulations for Ceremonial Paraphernalia of the Present Dynasty\", an illustrated manuscript commissioned by the Qianlong Emperor (r.1736-1795). The book consists of six parts - ceremonial vessels, scientific equipments, dress, musical instruments, insignia, and weaponry, containing more than 1300 leaves of illustrations and explanatory texts. They bear an explanatory text about the court girdle worn by the Emperor. The text is arranged in fourteen columns."@en . "\"The Illustrated Regulations for Ceremonial Paraphernalia of the Present Dynasty\" is an illustrated manuscript commissioned by the Qianlong Emperor (r.1736-1795). The main body of the commission began in 1750 and was completed in 1759. It was a conclusion of the Emperor's decade long efforts to regulate the ritual codes and procedures as a means of ruling since his enthronement, and serves as a record of the Emperor's passion for a rigid ritualised life.\n\nAs one of the major imperial commissions the book is of monumental scale and collaborative in nature. As many as twenty-seven court painters and calligraphers were working on the commission under five editors-in-chief, Yilu (1695-1767), Jiang Pu (1708-1761), Wang Youdun (1692-1758), Guanbao (?-1776) and He Guozong (?-1766). After editing and further expansion in the ensuing years, the manuscript was printed by the Palace Publications Office in the Wuying Palace in 1766, and it was finally included as part of the Four Treasures imperial library project in 1773. For that purpose seven copies were produced and stored in libraries across the empire. The book consists of six parts - ceremonial vessels, scientific equipments, dress, musical instruments, insignia, and weaponry, containing more than 1300 leaves of illustrations and explanatory texts. \n\nThe museum's collection of the manuscript is incomplete. All its leaves, together with those in the British Library, in the National Museums of Scotland and in the National Museum of Ireland, may have been part of the version kept in the Wenyuan Pavilion library in the Yuanming yuan Summer Palace, Beijing.\n\nThe current two pages bear an explanatory text about the materials and the use of the court girdle (no.2) worn by the Emperor. The text may be translated as follows: \u201CThe Court Girdle (no.2) worn by the Emperor. Note respectfully: According to the regulation of the present Dynasty, the colour is a standard yellow with four dragon-pattern gold clasps. At the Sacrifice to Heaven the precious stone set in the clasps is lapis lazuli, at the Sacrifice to Earth, yellow jade, at the Sacrifice to the Morning Sun, coral, at the Sacrifice to the Evening Moon, white jade. To all are attached five oriental pearls with pendent kerchiefs. At the Sacrifice of the Round Mound pure green is worn. In other respects the girdle is like the pattern of the round clasp court girdle. In the middle it is bound by a round claps, on which are set four oriental pearls, the pendent pouch is of plain dark blue. On the left is an ivory spike and on the right a knife. All these harmonise with the colour of the clasps.\u201D"@en . "Page of the illustrated manuscript \"The Illustrated Regulations for Ceremonial Paraphernalia of the Present Dynasty.\" It bears an explanatory text about the court girdle (no.2) worn by the Emperor.\n\nPage of the illustrated manuscript \"The Illustrated Regulations for Ceremonial Paraphernalia of the Present Dynasty.\" It bears an explanatory text about the court girdle (no.2) worn by the Emperor."@en . . . "2021-02-10T00:00:00"^^ .