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Morning Glow on the Western Ridge, from the series Thirty-six Views of the Summer Palace

Matteo Ripa (Ma Guoxian) Italian
After a painting by Shen Yu Chinese

1711–13

Not on view

This engraving presents a view of the Kangxi emperor’s (r. 1662–1722) summer palace complex in modern Chengde, Hebei Province. In 1711 the emperor composed poems on his favorite thirty-six sites and ordered the court artist Shen Yu to illustrate them. Two sets of prints were produced after the paintings, one in woodcut and the other in copperplate engraving by Matteo Ripa.

Ripa was an Italian missionary working as an artist at the Manchu court. He introduced the technique of copperplate engraving to China for making pictures and maps. His engravings of the Mountain Villa are thought to have influenced the development of English garden design.

Morning Glow on the Western Ridge, from the series Thirty-six Views of the Summer Palace, Matteo Ripa (Ma Guoxian) (Italian, 1682–1746), Copperplate engraving on paper, China — This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Xiling chenxia, from yuzhi bishushan zhuang sanshi liu jing

Title: Morning Glow on the Western Ridge, from the series Thirty-six Views of the Summer Palace

Artist: Matteo Ripa (Ma Guoxian) (Italian, 1682–1746)

Artist: After a painting by Shen Yu (Chinese, 1649–after 1728)

Period: Qing dynasty (1644–1911), Kangxi period (1662–1722)

Date: 1711–13

Culture: China

Medium: Copperplate engraving on paper

Dimensions: Image (single page): 12 9/16 x 13 11/16 in. (31.9 x 34.8 cm)
Overall (open book): 14 15/16 x 32 1/16 in. (38 x 81.5 cm)
Book cover: 14 7/8 x 16 1/16 in. (37.8 x 40.8 cm)

Classification: Prints

Credit Line: On loan from the British Museum