Audience with the Emperor

Representation of an audience with the emperor or at least its depiction as imagined by the painter. The figure of the sovereign stands out, wearing an imperial robe normally in silk and richly embroidered with decorative motifs such as dragons and clouds. The dragon, a supernatural animal, symbolised spring and fertility, since it was the dragon that brought rain. A symbol of vigilance and protection, the dragon personified the emperor and was often associated with the notion of happiness. In this case, the various dignitaries are wearing the typical round official court winter hat, the chaoguang, (as opposed to the official conical hat worn in summer) trimmed with animal skins (such as rabbit) and jewellery (rubies, sapphires, rock crystal, gilt metal or other materials imitating these same stones), which indicated the wealth and status of its wearer.
Further embellishing the hat, peacock feathers would be added, covering the neck at the back, as a symbol of prestige and services rendered to the crown.
Around their necks they wore the Manchu court necklace (chaozhu), commonly known as the mandarin necklace, derived from the mala. It consists of a set of one hundred and eight beads, divided into four sets of twenty-seven by wider beads called Buddha heads (fuatou), and finished with a long pendant that fell over its wearer's back and served as a counterweight. Another three pendants of lesser dimensions (shuzhu) fell forward. The beads used in these necklaces were expected to be made from precious and semi-precious stones, such as lapis lazuli, amber, red coral and turquoise, although there are cases of beads in glass and enamelled metal. These necklaces were worn not only by the men of the court, but also by women. Another accessory that complemented men's attire were the shoes (xie), the design of which can be traced back to the Zhou dynasty (1030 - 256 BC). The platform sole, made of several layers of felt or cotton fabric, gave extra height to the wearer. The satin boots, black in colour and with high white soles, were so expensive that their cost in 1865 could be equivalent to a servant’s annual salary.
The China Trade series of paintings called “Palaces”, composed of eleven different scenes depicting the daily court life in the Qing (Manchu) dynasty, and the life of China's richest and most powerful classes, mainly high dignitaries, or so-called mandarins, receiving guests at times of leisure. Depicted are different palace scenes, exteriors and interiors generally facing north to south, spreading out from a central axis (in the case of North China, in contrast to South China where they faced east-west, to better suit the weather conditions in these climes).
Joana Belard da Fonseca, in the catalogue Presença Portuguesa na Ásia, Museu do Oriente, 2008, p. 389-391