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[Chinese Emperor(?) and Empress(?) seated on raised platform with musicians seated in front of them; the Emperor appears to have lost his nose and part of his right shoulder, the Empress part of her scalp] by Kobayashi Kiyochika — Japanese Woodblock print

[Chinese Emperor(?) and Empress(?) seated on raised platform with musicians seated in front of them; the Emperor appears to have lost his nose and part of his right shoulder, the Empress part of her scalp]

by Kobayashi Kiyochika

Medium:
Woodblock print
Image courtesy of
Library of Congress

Description

This print, depicting Chinese imperial figures with conspicuous physical damage — missing nose, missing scalp — belongs to the tradition of Meiji-era satirical prints targeting Qing China, most likely produced in connection with the First Sino-Japanese War of 1894–1895. The elevated platform and formal court setting establish imperial iconography that the bodily damage then undercuts, rendering the subjects simultaneously grand and degraded. Musicians in the foreground reinforce the ceremonial frame while the mutilated figures above signal the collapse of dynastic authority. Kiyochika's caricature work in this vein drew on both Japanese satirical print conventions and Western political cartoon physiognomy to produce imagery targeted at a popular domestic audience celebrating Japanese military success.

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Frequently Asked Questions

[Chinese Emperor(?) and Empress(?) seated on raised platform with musicians seated in front of them; the Emperor appears to have lost his nose and part of his right shoulder, the Empress part of her scalp] was created by Kobayashi Kiyochika (小林清親).

[Chinese Emperor(?) and Empress(?) seated on raised platform with musicians seated in front of them; the Emperor appears to have lost his nose and part of his right shoulder, the Empress part of her scalp] depicts seascapes.