Empresses of China's Forbidden City 1644-1912 / edited by Daisy Yiyou Wang and Jan Stuart ; with essays and entries by Daisy Yiyou Wang, Jan Stuart, Lin Shu, Luk Yu-ping, Ying-chen Peng, Evelyn S. Rawski, Ren Wanping, and additional entries by curators at the Palace Museum, the Peabody Essex Museum, and the Freer│Sackler, Smithsonian Institution.

 Empresses of China's Forbidden City: 1644-1912 accompanies the exhibition of the same title organized by the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts, the Freer/Sackler, Smithsonian Institution, in Washington, DC, and the Palace Museum, Beijing, China.

Exhibition Itinerary : Peabody Essex Museum, August 18, 2018-February 10, 2019 and Freer/Sackler, Smithsonian Institution, March 30-June 23, 2019.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Introduction: Rediscovering the empresses of Qing China, 1644-1912 / Daisy Yiyou Wang and Jan Stuart -- Key empresses in the Qing imperial family -- Timeline of Qing empresses in world context / Doris Sung and Paula Richter -- Map of the Forbidden City -- Qing empresses and their place in history / Evelyn S. Rawski -- Qing empresses and grand imperial weddings / Ren Wanping -- Tracing the lives of Qing court women / Jan Stuart -- Empress Dowager Chongqing and the Palace of Longevity and Health / Lin Shu -- Deciphering portraits of Qing empresses / Daisy Yiyou Wang -- Qing empresses as religious patrons and practitioners / Luk Yu-ping -- Empresses and Qing court politics / Ying-chen Peng -- Plates -- Catalogue of the exhibition -- Glossary of selected names and terms.

"Empresses of China's Forbidden City: 1644-1912" : August 18, 2018-February 10, 2019, Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, Massachusetts, United States.

"Empresses of China's Forbidden City: 1644-1912" : March 30-June 23, 2019, the Freer/Sackler, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, District of Columbia, United States.

"Empresses in the Qing dynasty played an influential role in the imperial court and the cosmopolitan culture of their time. Offering compelling insights into the material culture, activities, and living spaces of Qing empresses, this lavishly illustrated book features over one hundred spectacular works of art from the Palace Museum in Beijing--including large-scale portraits, court robes, and richly decorated Buddhist sutras--that bring the splendor of the Qing court to life. A series of insightful essays examines the fascinating ways that key imperial women engaged with art, religion, and politics. This unprecedented exploration of the Qing court from the perspective of its top-ranked women is an important new contribution to our understanding of Chinese art and history"

***Graphic resource