Imperial Edicts Regarding General Qi Mian

Details

ANONYMOUS (MING DYNASTY)
Imperial Edicts Regarding General Qi Mian

Set of twelve scrolls, mounted, ink and color on silk
Each scroll measures approximately 17 1/2 x 29 in. (44.5 x 73.7 cm.)

Further Details

During the Ming dynasty (1368-1644), aggression from nomadic peoples persistently threatened China’s northern frontier. Since the reign of the Xuande Emperor (r. 1426-1435), Geyubao (present-day Zhangjiakou) in northwestern Hebei was a crucial strategic stronghold against foreign invasions. Geyubao was part of the middle circuit of Xuanfu since the mid-Ming dynasty. According to The Gazetteer of Xuanfu, the middle circuit of Xuanfu “is connected to the Longmen Gate in the east, Zhangjiakou in the west, towns and cities in the south, and desert in the north”. As such, the Ming court attached great importance to the military defense of Geyubao, stationing a heavy presence of troops and maintaining strong firepower there. This rare series of paintings vividly depicts scenes of military exercises, battles, and victories in the mid-Ming period in this region. Each figure and horse is meticulously rendered in bright colors. The documentary quality of the series is further enhanced by the dynamic interactions between the figures and the animals. In addition, there are three imperial edicts that accompany the pictures and that promulgate a commander named Qi Mian. In the thirty-fourth year of the Jiajing reign (1555), the remnant forces of the previous Yuan dynasty invaded Xuanfu and Geyubao fell under siege. General Li Guangqi died on the battlefield, and Qi Mian was then appointed Lieutenant General, and given command of the forces stationed in Geyubao and its surroundings. He died in the thirty-sixth year of the Jiajing reign (1557). It is likely that this series was commissioned by the imperial court to commemorate all the events leading up to Qi Mian’s appointment and achievement, and awarded to his family.

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