China News Service, Paris, April 2: Question: Why do France-China exchanges in the 17th and 18th centuries fascinate me?
——Exclusive interview with Marie-Laure de Rochebrune, head of the Cultural Relics Department of the Palace of Versailles in France
China News Service reporter Li Yang
The exhibition "Versailles and the Forbidden City: Sino-French Exchanges in the 17th and 18th Centuries" officially opened on April 1 in the Wenhua Hall Exhibition Hall of the Palace Museum. The exhibition lasts for three months, with the theme of diplomatic, cultural and artistic exchanges between China and France. Through about 200 exquisite cultural relics from the Palace Museum, the Palace of Versailles and other collection institutions, it shows the two sides from the second half of the 17th century to the 18th century. With a history of extensive exchanges in multiple fields, it has been included in the list of high-quality cultural exchange activities between China and France in 2024, which has attracted much attention.
Marie laure de Rochebrune, co-curator of the exhibition and head of the cultural relics department of the Palace of Versailles in France, recently accepted an exclusive interview with China News Service's "East-West Question" in Paris, analyzing 17 and 18 Why the French-Chinese exchanges in the century are so impressive, and explain the highlights of the exhibits provided by the Palace of Versailles this time.
The interview transcript is summarized as follows:
China News Service reporter: You are not only the co-curator of the exhibition "Versailles and the Forbidden City: Sino-French Exchanges in the 17th and 18th Centuries", but also the "China in Versailles - Art and Diplomacy in the 18th Century" held in France in 2014. Curator of the exhibition. Both exhibitions focus on Sino-French exchanges during roughly the same historical period. Why focus on Sino-French exchanges during this period? Compared with 10 years ago, what is unique about this exhibition at the Palace Museum in Beijing?
Desrochesbrune:
I have been working on issues related to France-China exchanges in the 17th and 18th centuries for more than 20 years. I became interested in this while working at the Louvre Museum. After I came to work at the Palace of Versailles in 2010, this issue continued to fascinate me.
2014 was the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between France and China. I was planning an exhibition entitled "China in Versailles - Art and Diplomacy in the 18th Century" at the Palace of Versailles. The purpose of this exhibition is essentially consistent with this year's exhibition in Beijing. They both tell how the French court developed an interest and taste in China in the 17th and 18th centuries, as well as display a series of artworks given to the Chinese court by the French king, such as Porcelain, furniture, murals, folding fans, etc. Louis XIV especially used Jesuit missionaries to achieve relevant exchanges with the Chinese court.
Compared with the Versailles exhibition 10 years ago, in the "Versailles and Forbidden City: Sino-French Exchanges in the 17th and 18th Centuries" exhibition, people can compare and view related cultural relics from the Forbidden City and Versailles, allowing viewers to understand for the first time The other side of the story of France-China exchanges at this historical stage, that is, the perspective from China, reveals that France and China were attracted to each other at this stage. The Chinese emperors from Emperor Kangxi to the end of the 18th century (i.e. Emperor Yongzheng and Emperor Qianlong) were also curious about what was going on in the French royal family; and more generally, they were also curious about the decorative arts of France at the time.
In addition, relevant research conducted by my Chinese colleague Mr. Guo Fuxiang for this exhibition shows that many of the collections in the Forbidden City in this exhibition have been identified as coming from France, which means that these collections are part of the gifts given to the Chinese emperor by the French royal family. , to some extent, can also be understood as the "order" placed by the Chinese emperor to the French craftsmen.
This exhibition also displays the new collection of treasures added by the Palace of Versailles in the past 10 years, including the Chinese-style kettle presented to Louis XIV by the Siamese envoy in 1686 - "Silver kettle with flower and bird patterns carved and partly gilded", which the Palace of Versailles opened in 2018 This cultural relic was acquired just now; as well as the Louis XV court porcelain fired in Jingdezhen, which was also acquired in 2018.
The exhibition "Versailles and the Forbidden City: Sino-French Exchanges in the 17th and 18th Centuries" displays a Chinese-style pot presented to Louis XIV by the Siamese envoy in 1686 - "a kettle carved in silver with patterns of flowers and birds and partly gilded." Photo by China News Service reporter Li Yang
Reporter from China News Service: The exhibition "Versailles and the Forbidden City: Sino-French Exchanges in the 17th and 18th Centuries" seems to want to show that cultural exchanges between the Chinese and French courts were already underway at that time. What do you think of the friendly exchanges between the Chinese and French courts at that time?
Desrochebrune:
Jesuit missionaries from Europe, who helped establish ties between the French and Chinese courts, were active in China as early as the 16th century. Since the Chinese court did not officially accept foreign diplomatic missions at that time, Louis XIV decided to send a French missionary mission to Beijing in 1685. Five missionaries arrived in China in 1688 and were soon introduced to the court of Emperor Kangxi. Emperor Kangxi admired the missionaries' profound scientific knowledge, especially in mathematics, medicine and astronomy. The missionary community thus gained recognition from the Chinese court and was able to serve the Chinese emperor at close range until the end of the 18th century. French missionaries described China's customs and customs to the French court and became the middlemen for the exchange of gifts between the French and Chinese courts. The mutual understanding between France and China at that time was achieved with the participation of these missionaries.
Reporter from China News Service: As you just said, the "silver and partially gilded kettle with flower and bird patterns" that the Palace of Versailles sent to the Palace Museum in Beijing for display is indeed an impressive exhibit, and it is of great significance to the French court. What's the point?
Desrochebrune:
The "silver and partly gilt kettle carved with flowers and birds" is a unique treasure in the collection of the Palace of Versailles. It was one of the gifts presented to Louis XIV by the Siamese envoy in 1686. These gifts included a large number of Chinese objects, including this kettle, and aroused the French court's strong interest in the East. This cultural relic is the only known gold and silverware in that batch of gifts. It is also a relatively rare collection of palace gold and silverware from the Louis XIV era. It is still well preserved and appears to be extremely precious.
In 2018, experts confirmed the value of this cultural relic through the royal emblem on the bottom of the pot. Versailles acquired it with help from LVMH. Gold and silverware experts from the Palace of Versailles worked hard to restore the artifact so that it could show its original appearance. I am very happy that it can be exhibited in China through this exhibition.
Reporter from China News Service: I am very interested in the portrait of Emperor Qianlong painted by Charles-loi Asselin. This is also one of the exhibits sent to Beijing by the Palace of Versailles for this exhibition. Why did this French painter paint such a unique image of Emperor Qianlong?
Desrochebrune:
This ceramic engraving by Charles-Eloy Asselin dates from 1776. The painting shows Qianlong looking serious, wearing a leather hat with a huge pearl on top, and Chinese flowers and birds dotted around the frame. The work was actually painted by Asselin based on a watercolor by the Jesuit missionary Giuseppe Panzi. Pan Tingzhang served as a court painter in Beijing in the 18th century, and his related watercolor paintings are now lost.
This portrait of Emperor Qianlong was placed in Louis XVI's private room. It seems surprising that a French king would choose to decorate one of his most private rooms with an unofficial portrait of a foreign monarch, and we don't yet know why. This is a mystery that remains unsolved in the history of France-China relations.
Portrait of Emperor Qianlong by Charles-loi Asselin. Photo by China News Service reporter Li Yang
China News Service reporter: What is your impression of the Forbidden City in Beijing? Which Forbidden City cultural relic impressed you most?
Drochbrune:
I inspected the Forbidden City in 2019 and was deeply impressed. The Forbidden City has a grand and beautiful complex of buildings, a 600-year history and extraordinary collections.
It is an honor for me and the Palace of Versailles team involved in related projects to co-organize an exhibition with the Forbidden City. For me, this was not only an opportunity to explore the collections of the Forbidden City, but also to see objects gifted to the Chinese emperor by the French court. In the Forbidden City, I saw the porcelain bottle presented to Emperor Qianlong by Louis XV. It was made by Charles-Nicolas Dodin, a famous porcelain manufacturer in Sèvres, France. This made me really happy. This cultural relic is very rare. It shows that the French king attaches great importance to its relationship with China. It also reflects the exquisiteness of French related technologies at that time and witnesses the high quality of French products. Visitors can appreciate this collection through this exhibition.
China News Service reporter: What are your expectations for the exhibition "Versailles and the Forbidden City: Sino-French Exchanges in the 17th and 18th Centuries"? What message does the Palace of Versailles hope to convey to the Chinese people visiting the exhibition?
Desrochesbrune:
I am very happy that this exhibition can finally be opened in the Palace Museum in Beijing. In 2019, we had started working on this project, but the epidemic caused the exhibition to be delayed. However, our communication with the Palace Museum has never been interrupted and we have maintained regular contact.
This exhibition allows visitors to understand this little-known but fascinating history of France-China relations in the 17th and 18th centuries. We hope that Chinese visitors and people from all over the world who understand this history will also be interested in visiting the Palace of Versailles in France. Both the Palace of Versailles and the Forbidden City were once seats of national power and both had global influence. There are few other palaces in the world that can rival them. (over)