ANONYMOUS A Manchu Hunting Party, 1800-1850ANONYMOUSA Manchu Hunting Party, 1800-1850Ink and colours on paper, with two collector's seals, framed. 167.5cm (66in) wide x 85cm (33 1/2in) high.1800-1850 佚名 滿族狩獵圖 紙本設色 For the Manchu rulers of the Qing dynasty, hunting wild game enforced their cultural traditions and ethnic identity. The French Jesuit Ferdinand Verbiest (1623-1688) wrote of the Kangxi emperor organising massive annual hunts in pursuit of deer, wild boar, bear, pheasants and tigers. The Imperial hunts (weilie), lasted as long as thirty days and were held at the royal preserve at Mulan. These hunts not only afforded the emperor and his retinue the opportunity to hone their battle skills and test their martial prowess, as archery competitions, mock battles, wrestling and horse racing were also included in the activities. The Imperial hunts also served a diplomatic role, as the emperor would invite other frontier tribes to participate, thus strengthening the bonds between the Qing rulers and the Kazakh, Mongol and Uighur nobles of the Inner Asian frontier.is_parse: 20230413image: yuzhan_bonhams_item.jpgsold_price_type: £