Seal of the Kangxi Emperor, Kangxi period 1662—1722. Sandalwood, with cord of yellow silk. The Palace Museum, Beijing.
The Kangxi Emperor (1662-1722)
In addition to his military prowess the Kangxi Emperor was famous for his scholarly abilities and his patronage of the arts. This room displays artefacts from the scholar’s table — brush pots, brush rests, ink stones and ink sticks. Such items were regarded as the vehicles for some of the highest forms of art in China but are almost unknown in the western world. Kangxi is shown at his desk in an informal scholar’s hat, poised to write.
