Uncovering the Provenance of “Orphaned” Objects : An Experimental Provenance Case Study on Scattered Pages of the Huangchao Liqi Tushi Qing Imperial Album in Western Collections

Zhao, Haoyang (author)

In recent years, scattered pages of the coloured version of Huangchao liqi tushi have been found in several public institutions outside China and even on the art market. The discovery of pages bearing the Yuanmingyuan seal has led to them being associated with the looting of Yuanmingyuan in 1860. However, as commonly encountered in provenance research, a thorough analysis of the available archives indicates that portions of pages held in various institutions were acquired from unrelated individuals or dealers at different times, without substantial evidence linking them directly to the looting of Yuanmingyuan or to soldiers involved in the looting. Consequently, it is not possible to definitively establish their Yuanmingyuan provenance. Facing these challenges, this study employs methods beyond the traditional archival research approach, demonstrating how additional insights can be derived from checking indirect archives and marks on the reverse of pages. More importantly, the study showcases how an art historical understanding of the material can offer new perspectives, shifting the focus from searching for provenance documents of individual portions to connecting portions without records to those with more solid evidence, considering the possibility that direct provenance records may never have existed.

• Language: English
• Keywords: Huangchao liqi tushi, provenance research, history of collecting, looted objects, Yuanmingyuan
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FF - Faculty of Arts
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Publication date: 15.01.2025
• Number of pages: Str. 289-322
• Numbering: Vol. 13, no. 1
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-178221
• ISSN: 2232-5131
• eISSN: 2350-4226
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4312/as.2025.13.1.289-322
• Publication date in RUL: 21.01.2026

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Asian studies
• Publisher: Znanstvena založba Filozofske fakultete, Znanstvena založba Filozofske fakultete, Založba Univerze v Ljubljani
• ISSN: 2232-5131
• COBISS.SI-ID: 265206272

Licences

• License: CC BY-SA 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
• Description: This Creative Commons license is very similar to the regular Attribution license, but requires the release of all derivative works under this same license.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Title: Odkrivanje provenience »osirotelih« predmetov : eksperimentalna študija provenience na primeru razpršenih strani Huangchao liqi tushi, cesarskega albuma iz obdobja Qing, v zbirkah na Zahodu

Abstract

V zadnjih letih so bile razpršene strani kolorirane različice Huangchao liqi tushi najdene v več javnih ustanovah zunaj Kitajske ali pa so se posamično pojavljale na trgu umetnin. Zaradi odkritja strani s pečatom Yuanmingyuana so jih povezali z ropanjem te palače leta 1860. Kot se pogosto zgodi pri raziskavah provenience, pa temeljita analiza razpoložljivih arhivov kaže, da so bili skupki strani, ki jih hranijo različne institucije, pridobljeni od nepovezanih posameznikov ali trgovcev v različnih obdobjih, brez pomembnih dokazov, ki bi jih neposredno povezovali z ropanjem Yuanmingyuana ali z vojaki, vpletenimi v ropanje; zato ni mogoče dokončno ugotoviti, ali res izvirajo od tam. Zaradi teh izzivov študija uporablja metode, ki presegajo tradicionalni arhivski raziskovalni pristop, in kaže, kako je mogoče pridobiti dodatna spoznanja s preverjanjem posrednih arhivov in oznak na hrbtni strani teh listov. Še pomembneje je, da študija prikazuje, kako lahko umetnostnozgodovinsko razumevanje gradiva ponudi nove perspektive, pri čemer se poudarek preusmeri z iskanja dokumentov o provenienci posameznih delov na povezovanje delov brez zapisov s tistimi, za katere imamo bolj trdne dokaze, pri čemer se upošteva možnost, da neposredni zapisi o provenienci morda nikoli niso obstajali.

• Keywords: Huangchao liqi tushi 皇朝禮器圖式, raziskovanje provenience, zgodovina zbirateljstva, izropani predmeti, Yuanmingyuan 圓明園