Imperial Brushstrokes: The Last Portrait of Empress Dowager Cixi
Hey, I have an interesting story to share with you! It is said that there is a precious oil painting of Empress Dowager Cixi in the Summer Palace, which has been in existence for 108 years. And it happens to be the last oil portrait of Empress Dowager Cixi during her lifetime! The artist behind this painting is Hubert Vos from the Netherlands, who is the only foreign male painter to have painted a portrait of Empress Dowager Cixi. This Dutch brother is truly talented; he has also painted oil portraits of many important political figures during the late Qing dynasty, and his reputation precedes him!
Speaking of which, after more than 100 years, the descendants of this Dutch male painter donated six portraits of late Qing celebrities from their family collection to the Capital Museum in Beijing. That’s quite a generous contribution! It seems that this family has a deep affection for China’s cultural heritage.
Now, let’s talk about the painter, Hubert Vos! He not only painted portraits of the late Qing political elites but also portraits of the Queen of the Netherlands, the King of Korea, and the Russian Ambassador to England! This brother truly has exceptional skills in painting!
In June 1905, Hubert Vos returned to Beijing, this time with the purpose of painting a portrait of Empress Dowager Cixi. It turns out that Empress Dowager Cixi saw the portrait he painted for Prince Yi, and she was very pleased with it. So, an invitation telegram was sent by the Chinese embassy, requesting Vos to provide a clear quotation in his reply. Upon receiving the telegram, Vos hurried to Beijing and met with the official Wu Tingfang. However, their meeting was not long, only a few minutes. Wu Tingfang, in fluent English, informed him that his proposed price had been accepted (according to the recollections of the Dutch diplomat William, Vos received 13,000 silver taels from the Chinese government as remuneration). They also agreed to start painting continuously for four days, starting from the next
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