Qianlong Emperor in Armor- Qing Dynasty, 18th Century, 乾隆大帝甲

Portrait of a nobleman (almost definitely the Qianlong Emperor) dressed in ornately adorned blue brigandine armor 皇帝随侍甲 (lit. "Emperor's Ordinary Armor") with gilded floral patterns. The man wears a hat with draping fold neck protectors. Attributed to the French Jesuit court artist Jean-Denis Attiret. Mid 18th century. Paris, Musée Guimet - National Museum of Asian Arts.

The image has a flat composition with the figure squarely seated in the middle. The man is in his prime and has a healthy complexion, His eyes regards the viewer with an even but confident air and a vague smile hovers over his lips. The gilded floral patterns are intricately woven onto the pauldrons and chest-piece of the armor. Another example of Qianlong's ornate armor could be seen here.

Qing dynasty Banner Army

The stately portrait is revolutionary in several respects. Namely that although it is made in the style of Chinese portraits, the shading and rendering are extremely detailed and drawn in a western manner. This is exemplified in the extreme realism of the armor. This portrait is attributed to the French Jesuit artist Jean-Denis Attiret. Attiret (his Chinese- styled name is Wáng Zhìchéng; 王致诚) lived in the Qing court and was one of the portrait artists of the Qianlong emperor. Despite the adoptation of the western techniques, note that the seated man's face does not cast any shadows (as are in nearly all of the Qianlong emperor's portraits) because Chinese customs believed that shadows on the face is an inauspicious omen.

The Qianlong emperor Aisin Gioro Hongli in his youth in 1736. For comparisons with the portrait above, note the key features of the young Qianlong Emperor. He has slightly elongated face, long ears, and relaxed eyes that would become somewhat droopy later in advanced age. Most distinctively, the Qianlong emperor is marked by his wry and sensuous lips- which  gives the impression that he is smirking. 

Note the exact match of the contour of the lips, the V shape created by the long ears, as well as the line clusters on both portrait's nose. 

In his youth, the Qianlong Emperor was known for his cleverness, although bookish, was something of a smart aleck. The privilidged prince enjoyed much adoration because he was the favorite grandson of his grandfather the Kangxi emperor, as well as his father, the Yongzheng emperor. The youthful portrait is attributed to the Italian Jesuit painter Giuseppe Castiglione in Qing service. 

Giuseppe Castiglione (Chinese styled as Lang Shining 郞世宁) profoundly revolutionized the style of painting in the Qing court and ushered in a wave of western styled paintings in China. He served 3 Qing Emperors, the Kangxi, Yongzheng, and Qianlong, and witnessed nearly a century of golden age under the 3 exemplary Qing emperors. 

 THE WESTERN STYLE

Portrait of a Beauty: Oil painting in the style of Giuseppe Castiglione, 19th century. Some have attributed the seated woman to be 香妃 Xiangfei- (lit.) "The Fragrant Concubine," an alleged favorite concubine of the Qianlong Emperor. This painting is clearly influenced in the western styles, note the realistic rendering of the jade wrist jewels, the blush and shadows on her cheeks, the shading on her dress- especially in the folding of the fabrics on her sleeves.

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