Photo Record
Images
Metadata
Catalog Number |
2019.00761 |
Object Name |
Print, Photographic |
Description |
There were certain architectural features that were reserved solely for buildings built for the Emperor of China. One example is the use of yellow roof tiles, yellow having been the Imperial color; yellow roof tiles still adorn most of the buildings within the Forbidden City. The Temple of Heaven, however, uses blue roof tiles to symbolize the sky. The roofs are almost invariably supported by brackets ("dougong"), a feature shared only with the largest of religious buildings. The wooden columns of the buildings, as well as the surfaces of the walls, tend to be red in color. Black is also a famous color often used in pagodas. It was believed that the gods are inspired by the black color to descend to the earth. The Chinese 5-clawed dragon, adopted by the first Ming emperor for his personal use, was used as decoration on the beams, pillars, and on the doors on Imperial architecture.Only the buildings used by the imperial family were allowed to have nine jian (space between two columns); only the gates used by the Emperor could have five arches, with the centre one, of course, being reserved for the Emperor himself. The ancient Chinese favored the color red. The buildings faced south because the north had a cold wind. |
Date |
1911 |
Photographer |
Dr. William Edgar Geil |
Title |
A Foochow Ceiling ( 1911) |
Copyright |
Doylestown Historical Society |
Collection |
WM. Edgar Geil Collection |
Cataloged by |
Tony Palazzolo |
Orig/copy |
Copy |