Departure Herald and Return Clearing, With free download links for high-res images in multiple sizes[CN:出警入跸图]

Quality	Width × Height (Pixel)	Download Link
Standard Quality	① 65500 × 2254 ② 65500 × 2020	Google Drive
High Resolution	Segmented PDF diagram	Google Drive
Original Art Quality	① 150332 × 5173 ② 168469 × 5196	Google Drive

Intro of Departure Herald and Return Clearing

The painting Departure Herald and Return Clearing depicts the Ming emperor’s grand procession — departing to pay respects at the imperial tombs and returning to the palace by water. This work consists of two scrolls, painted extremely exquisitely, both are now housed in the National Palace Museum in Taipei. The two works are not signed, but due to their large size (26 meters long for Departure Herald and over 30 meters long for Return Clearing, along with the delicate and vividly details, it can be inferred that the work was completed by multiple palace painters.

Historians have commented on Departure Herald and Return Clearing as follows: “A single scroll of ‘Procession and Return’ reveals half the history of the Ming Dynasty”.

Departure Herald

Departure Herald depicts Wanli Emperor Zhu Yijun of the Ming Dynasty leading an imperial inspection outside the city. The procession started at Beijing’s Deshengmen Gate and made its way to Royal Tomb at Tianshou Mountain, which was about 50 km from the capital. There were thousands of guards in the procession. They were dressed in neatly armor and carried all kinds of weapons. They were full of energy and were always on high alert to protect the emperor’s travel. The Honor Guard was magnificent, the banners were flying in the sky, and the golden melon axes and other ritual weapons were shining in the sun. Numerous attendants followed closely behind, carefully serving the emperor. Accompanying officials also wore formal robes, in order according to rank, showing the Ming dynasty officialdom of the rigorous order.

The picture is mainly about the emperor and his guard. The emperor, as the core figure, is surrounded by people, showing the majesty of the royal family. On the way to Tianshou Mountain, the procession was around by beautiful spring countryside scenery of peach blossoms and green willow, beautiful spring scenery in the countryside, adding vitality and energy to the picture.

In Departure Herald , almost all figures are shown in profile, while only Emperor Wanli is depicted frontally. This distinctive artistic approach highlights the emperor’s exalted status.

The emperor was dressed in splendid clothes, his silver-scaled armor gleaming in the sunlight, with golden shoulder guards on his shoulders, while two dragon motifs decorated his chest, the whole clothes was painted with exquisite patterns, show the majesty and domineering of the Emperor. He rode a tall black horse which was the emperor’s mount. The horse wore a golden helmet with white plumes, and the body was decorated with ornate and intricate dragon patterns. The emperor grabbed a horsewhip in his hand, while carrying a bow and arrow, and the sword of the emperor.

Departure Herald used the vibrant and vividly color, the choice of color was very bold, and are extremely rare among the classic paintings. The details in the picture are delicately depicted. The expressions of the characters, the patterns of the costumes and the texture of the weapons are all painted in rich details. The whole picture vividly demonstrates the grandeur of the Ming imperial court and the prosperity of the age, provides valuable information for future generations to study the history and culture of that time. It’s one of China’s most precious national treasures.

Return Clearing

Return Clearing depicts the emperor’s return to the capital by water, after paying visit to the royal tomb. Viewed from left to right, the main part of the procession returns by water, while the soldiers who can not take a boat follow along the shore.

Like Departure Herald, Return Clearing also depicts the faces, costumes and movements of the characters, carriages, horses, as well as the buildings and the scenery along the way. The picture features many scenes of that time, such as mountains, fertile fields, temples, rivers, embankments, long bridges, paifang archways, city gates, and palaces, allowing future generations to glimpse the natural beauty and cultural charm of China over four centuries ago.

The image of the emperor in Return Clearing is much more exaggerated than that in Departure Herald, the proportion is much larger than the eunuchs, guards, and boatmen around the emperor. He removed the shoulder armor and weapons he had worn when he was on the way out, and dressed in luxurious dark purple attire with majestic dragon head patterns and auspicious cloud patterns in the middle of the ship, dressed in a rich dark purple suit with majestic dragon head patterns on the front and the sleeves. He sat alone under the pavilion in the middle of the boat, highlighting the emperor’s extremely noble status.

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