Already 2,000 years ago, the emperors of China had portraits of loyal officials and generals made in order to display them in their palaces.
Image gallery
Unbekannte chinesische und europäische Hofmaler, Die Schlacht von Qurman (Fragment), Detail, Qing-Dynastie (1644 – 1911), Qianlong Ära (1736 – 1795), 1760, Hängerolle
This presentation features depictions of meritorious officers that the Qianlong Emperor (r. 1736–1795) had commissioned for their display in the hall of fame Ziguangge to demonstrate his power and legitimacy.
In the 20th century they became spoils of war not one but two times.Located adjacent to the Forbidden City in Beijing, the Ziguangge is a two-storey pavilion. During the reign of the Qianlong Emperor (r. 1736 – 1795), the building was a venue for military rituals and banquets and housed paintings with battle scenes of the imperial military campaigns and portraits of meritorious officers.
In 1900/01 the hall was plundered during the brutal suppression of the Boxer Movement (Yihetuan) by a multinational coalition, the Eight-Nation Alliance, to which also the Prussian military belonged. All 280 portraits were looted. Many of the paintings ended up also in German collections. In 1945, the USSR administration took the paintings in the Berlin collection, some of which are represented here by black-and-white prints, as war booty; the original works remain in museums in Russia to this day.
The curator
The exhibition is curated by Birgitta Augustin.Presentation as part of the project “Traces of the ‘Boxer War’ in German Museum Collections – A Joint Approach” (2021–2024), project management: Christine Howald, Zentralarchiv, Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation and with the support of the Palace Museum, BeijingA temporary presentation by the Museum für Asiatische Kunst of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin in the Humboldt Forum, Room 320, “China and Europe”
- free admission, no ticket required
- Museum für Asiatische Kunst, 3. OG Room 320 „China and Europe“
- English, German
- Opening hours: Mon, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat, Sun: 10:30 am – 6:30 pm
Tue: closed
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Additional information
Accessibility
The Humboldt Forum and all exhibition rooms can be reached barrier-free with a wheelchair. A tactile floor guidance system facilitates orientation for blind and visually impaired visitors. Educational formats are tailored to the different needs of visitors with disabilities. These include tactile tours, guided tours and workshops.
Barrier-free parking is available south of the Humboldt Forum on Schlossplatz. Barrier-free parking is available south of the Humboldt Forum on Schlossplatz. For more information, click here.
By underground and suburban railway
U Museumsinsel (U5): 1 min walk
S/U Alexanderplatz: 15 min walk
S Hackescher Markt: 10 min walk
By bus
Lustgarten: 100, 300, N5; 1 min walk
Berlin Palace: 147; 1 min walk
BVG Fahrinfo
Bus bays are available in Rathausstraße: Stopping time from 9 - 22.30
Barrier-free parking is available south of the Humboldt Forum on Schlossplatz. Barrier-free parking is available south of the Humboldt Forum on Schlossplatz. For more information, click here.
By underground and suburban railway
U Museumsinsel (U5): 1 min walk
S/U Alexanderplatz: 15 min walk
S Hackescher Markt: 10 min walk
By bus
Lustgarten: 100, 300, N5; 1 min walk
Berlin Palace: 147; 1 min walk
BVG Fahrinfo
Bus bays are available in Rathausstraße: Stopping time from 9 - 22.30
