Art and Science in the Palace of the Empress Dowager: An Investigation of the Ningshou gong Display Archives from the Kangxi Reign (1661-1722)

Founded by the Kangxi Emperor in the 33^rd year of his reign (1694), the Qing “Records of Decoration and Display” (chenshedang 陳設檔) is a set of inventories that document the furnishings within Qing imperial palaces. The earliest and only entry within this collection of documents dating to the Kangxi era enumerates the objects on display in Ningshou gong 寧壽宮, or the Palace of Tranquil Longevity, in the Forbidden City. From 1689 to 1718, Ningshou gong served as the personal residence of Empress Xiaohuizhang 孝惠章, the imperial consort of Kangxi’s father and predecessor Shunzhi. While many of the objects in the archival document are items that one would typically expect to find in the residence of an Empress Dowager, the existence of imported foreign objects and scientific instruments in Ningshou gong is rather intriguing and unique. Through examining the sole official display record dating to the Kangxi reign, this paper shines light on the life of a relatively unknown yet incredibly significant woman in Qing history. The thorough investigation of the various Western objects and scientific instruments in Empress Xiaohuizhang’s residence reveals the immense influence that the Kangxi Emperor’s personal interest in the mathematical and astronomical sciences had on the patterns of display in imperial residences, attests to the close personal relationship between the emperor and the empress dowager, and hints at the ways in which objects within the residences of imperial women might have reflected their personal interests and artistic tastes.