Manchu the last Emperor 2011

The fourth and final exhibition in the series, "The Silk Road and Chinese Civilisation", to be held at the Casa dei Carraresi from October 2011 to May 2012, will be dedicated to the Qing dynasty of the Manchu, which ruled China from 1644 to 1911. By an extraordinary coincidence, it will be inaugurated precisely a century after the Heavenly Empire finally came to an end, and will bring to a close the celebrations of the "Year of China in Italy" (2010-2011), organised by the Italian and Chinese governments to mark the fortieth anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries. The exhibition will include items from the imperial collections of the ancient capital of Mukden and the sumptuous summer palace in Jehol, the extraordinary clothing of the warrior emperors, and objects of rare beauty created by the artists of the triumphant Chinese culture of the eighteenth century: not only exquisite jewellery in gold, jade and precious stones, but also paintings on silk, musical instruments, weapons and saddlery decoration. Also on display will be items of great historical significance relating to the clash with the West in the latter half of the 19th century, which culminated in the Boxer Rebellion in the summer of 1900.

The Last Emperor

The personal effects of the last emperor of China, Pu Yi, the subject of Bernardo Bertolucci’s film masterpiece, will be removed for the first time from the imperial palace in Changchun, the capital of the puppet Manchukuò Empire, and displayed at the Casa dei Carraresi. Part of the exhibition will be dedicated to the human epic of the last emperor with historical documents, photographs and costumes used in the Oscar-winning film. 

Photogallery