‘THE MING TOMBS’, QING DYNASTY China, 1644-1912. Ink and watercolors on paper. Portraying a broad landscape view of the shrines set in a mountainous river landscape, the foreground with a path divided by gateways and lined with pottery figures and mythical beasts, each shrine with an identifying inscription.

Provenance: From the collection of Naima Rutgersson (1922-2020), Stockholm, Sweden, and thence by descent.
Condition: Overall in fair condition and presenting very well. Old wear, minor creasing, soiling, staining. Some tears, losses and touchups mostly to edges. Laid down on board. With a European wood frame.

Dimensions: Image size 232 x 76 cm

The Ming tombs are a collection of mausoleums built by the emperors of the Ming dynasty of China. The first Ming emperor's tomb is located near his capital Nanjing. However, the majority of the Ming tombs are located in a cluster near Beijing and collectively known as the Thirteen Tombs of the Ming dynasty. They are located within the suburban Changping District of Beijing Municipality, 42 kilometers north-northwest of Beijing’s city center. The site, on the southern slope of Tianshou Mountain (originally Huangtu Mountain), was chosen based on the principles of feng shui by the third Ming emperor, the Yongle Emperor. After the construction of the Imperial Palace (Forbidden City) in 1420, the Yongle Emperor selected his burial site and created his own mausoleum. The subsequent emperors placed their tombs in the same valley.

Literature comparison: Compare a related painting depicting the Ming tombs, 119.4 x 251.5 cm, at Christie’s London, 25 June 1998, lot 293. Compare a related painting depicting the Ming tombs, dated after 1736, in the Library of Congress, inventory number G7822.M5A35.

清代明皇陵風水圖
中國，1644-1912年，紙本設色，描繪了坐落在山間河流景觀中的皇陵風水圖，小路延伸，兩側可見陶俑和神獸，四周山嶺分別每個神社都刻有識別銘文。

來源：瑞典斯德哥爾摩Naima Rutgersson (1922-2020) 私人收藏，保存至今。
品相：總體狀況良好，舊時磨損、輕微摺痕、汙漬、染色。一些水跡，主要在邊緣有些缺失和修補。採用歐式木框架。

尺寸：畫面232 x 76 釐米