The Forbidden City
The Forbidden City
$120.00
Desroches, Jean-Paul and Guillaume Fonkenell, Isabelle Leroy-Jay Lemaistre. The Forbidden City
Cl. Somogy. 2012
Book ID: 92138
An enigmatic locale that has long fascinated the West, the Forbidden City of Peking is explored in this chronicle. It reveals how the city has always been reserved for imperial families and their circles of acquaintances only, remaining taboo to the Chinese people, who were not allowed to approach it nor even look at it. It explains what it took to realize what is regarded as the most important architectural project in China, and documents how its construction spanned 14 years and required over a million workers. More than five centuries of the citys history is revisited, detailing an array of magnificent treasures secretly passed down through its generations. Focusing on several exceptional pieces, the examination places them beside recognizably Western works, and reflects on the Far Easts remarkable influence on the other side of the world.
356 pp.
