Empresses of China's Forbidden City

Location:Peabody Essex Museum

Dates: 2018-08-18 through 2019-02-10

This exhibition is the first to explore the role of empresses in shaping China’s last dynasty- the Qing dynasty - from 1644 to 1912. Nearly 200 spectacular objects from the Palace Museum tell the little-known stories of how imperial women influenced court politics, art and religion.

Timed to mark the 40th anniversary of the establishment of U.S.-China diplomatic relations, Empresses of China's Forbidden City is organized by the Peabody Essex Museum; the Smithsonian's Freer|Sackler, Washington, D.C.; and the Palace Museum, Beijing.

Explore sumptuous treasures from the Palace Museum that tell the little-known stories of empresses whose contributions had remained largely silent — until now. 

Empresses of China’s Forbidden City is organized by the Peabody Essex Museum; Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.; and the Palace Museum.

Click here to visit the exhibition page on the Peabody Essex Museum web site. Please note that you are leaving the Palace Museum official web site.