Masterpieces from the Forbidden City

The exhibition, curated by Gian Carlo Calza, presents 300 masterpieces from the Forbidden City. It is the first time that artifacts from the monumental Chinese complex are on public view in Italy. The objects on display will illustrate life at court and the immense wealth of China under the reign of Emperor Qianlong (1711-1799), the reign of “Cosmic Grandeur” that is considered the richest political and cultural period of the last dynasty that governed the Middle Kingdom (1644-1911). Works on display will illustrate rituals, ceremonies, portraits as well as scenes portraying private life. Echoes of an extraordinary historical period and culture. The exhibition will also include weapons, armor and utensils that belonged to the Emperor and the people portrayed in the paintings, as well as ceramics, dresses, cloisonné, imperial seals, a collection of table clocks, jade and more. Most of these objects have never left China before.