Battle Scene from the Muslim Rebellions in Shaanxi, Gansu and Xinjiang Provinces

A large painting on silk depicting the Muslim Rebellion in Shaanxi, Gansu and Xinjiang provinces, which are represented homogeneously as a landscape with cliffs, mountains, a river and trees. A strategic perspective from atop a mountain oversees all of the action, including various army camps and infantry. Some mounted soldiers appear in active pursuit of their enemy, while other regiments march in formation. Notable figures have small name plates positioned above their heads to identify them to the viewer.

This painting is part of a larger series of approximately 70 paintings commissioned by the Guangxu Emperor in 1885, approved by Empress Dowager Cixi in 1886, and completed in 1890. These paintings - split into four groups - commemorate the Taiping War, the Nian Rebellion, the Muslim Rebellion in Yunnan and Guizhou provinces, and the Muslim Rebellion on the southwest and northwest borders. The military prowess of the Qing government is highlighted and glorified in each of these paintings. Two of these paintings are accessioned in the Mactaggart Art Collection, please see Battle Scene from the Muslim Rebellions in Shaanxi, Gansu and Xinjiang Provinces (2004.19.92)