Secondary sourceSculpture

Sculpture of the Yongle Emperor

A later bronze statue showing the Yongle Emperor seated in long robes on a carved throne. It is a memorial made after his lifetime, with no date or source given.

Shows how later makers chose to memorialize the Yongle Emperor, as a seated ruler in imperial dress.

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Bronze seated statue of a bearded emperor in long robes with a dragon-patterned belt, on an ornate carved throne, with Chinese characters engraved on the plinth below. — Sculpture of the Yongle Emperor. Bronze, undated, creator and location not given.

About this source

What it is

This image shows a bronze statue of a bearded emperor seated on an ornate carved throne. He wears long robes with a dragon-patterned belt. Chinese characters are engraved on the plinth below. The statue has no date, maker or source given in the record. It is a later memorial, not an object made during the emperor's lifetime.

Why it matters

The Yongle Emperor ruled Ming dynasty China from 1402 to 1424. Later statues like this one show how people chose to remember him, emphasizing imperial dress and power. Because it was made after his time, it reflects the ideas of the people who commissioned it, not only the emperor himself.

Look closer

What symbols on the robes and belt suggest about the emperor's status?
Who would have wanted this statue made, and what image of the emperor were they trying to create?
What does the statue not tell us, since it has no date or source given?

This sculpture is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Yongle Emperor on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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