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Underground Palace, from the series Ancient Capital: Beijing

Wang Weixin Chinese

1981

Not on view

Wang Weixin’s print series Ancient Capital: Beijing depicts the city’s landmarks. Below the sculpture-lined “spirit way” leading to the imperial tombs is an underground palace with walls built of skulls and skeletons. The composition’s rigorous symmetry and architectonic monumentality effortlessly conjures up the grandeur of the Forbidden City.

Trained in the art academies at Hangzhou and Beijing, Wang Weixin experiments with various techniques, such as etching, watercolor, and embossing, to achieve innovative graphic effects. This series exemplifies his ingenuity.

Underground Palace, from the series Ancient Capital: Beijing, Wang Weixin (Chinese, born 1938), Etching on blind-pressed paper, China — Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Dixia gongdian

Title: Underground Palace, from the series Ancient Capital: Beijing

Artist: Wang Weixin (Chinese, born 1938)

Date: 1981

Culture: China

Medium: Etching on blind-pressed paper

Dimensions: Image: 20 3/8 x 23 11/16 in. (51.7 x 60.1 cm)
Overall: 24 1/16 x 32 1/16 in. (61.1 x 81.4 cm)

Classification: Prints

Credit Line: On loan from the British Museum

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Asian Art at The Met

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world.