Forbidden City. Images of Chinese Art

The Forbidden City is the largest palace complex in the world, located in the center of Beijing, its incredible collection of artworks was formed based on the imperial collections of the Ming and Qing dynasties.

Before you is the result of the long work of a team of researchers engaged in the interpretation, reconstruction, and graphic translation of the ornaments of the Forbidden City. This book contains hundreds of vector images, including individual patterns, line sketches, and samples of color palettes. It reflects five iconic types of applied Chinese art represented in the palace complex of Beijing: embroidery, porcelain, carpets, enamel products, and architecture.

Traditional patterns are not only symbols of Chinese culture but also a reflection of the spiritual worldview of the entire nation. By reading this book, you will see that a certain combination of colors and ornaments is an expression of the style and features of craftsmanship of a specific era. Changes in form and style reflected the change of ruling dynasties, but the desire in applied art to reflect hope for prosperity and well-being remained unchanged, thus the aesthetic perception was closely linked to what promised happiness.

The authors have selected over a hundred patterns hidden in the Forbidden City to trace their origins and interpret the meaning of each ornament. This allowed them to develop 117 color palettes of traditional patterns, which are presented in the book with a color breakdown in the CMYK color model.

The book will be of interest to both connoisseurs of Chinese art who wish to study the ornaments in detail and designers looking for inspiration for their projects.