vase with cloud and dragon designs, marked with the word "
Longevity" (寿),
Jiajing period of the Ming dynasty|243x243px Today, there are over a million rare and valuable works of art in the permanent collection of the Palace Museum, including paintings, ceramics, seals, steles, sculptures, inscribed wares, bronze wares, enamel objects, etc. The collections of the Palace Museum are based on the Qing imperial collection. According to the results of a 1925 audit, some 1.17 million pieces of art were stored in the Forbidden City. At the end of 2016, the Palace Museum held a press conference, announcing that 55,132 previously unlisted items had been discovered in an inventory check carried out from 2014 to 2016. The total number of items in the Palace Museum collection is presently at 1,862,690 objects.
Zun vessel with lotus design, Northern Dynasties, 386–581 A.D. Palace Museum collection.|253x253px
Ceramics The Palace Museum holds 340,000 pieces of
ceramics and
porcelain. As well as other pieces, these include imperial collections from the
Tang and
Song dynasties, as well as pieces commissioned by the palace, and, sometimes, by the emperor personally. This collection is notable because it derives from the imperial collection, and thus represents the best of porcelain production in China; other large collections are in the National Palace Museum in
Taipei and the
Nanjing Museum. The ceramic collection of the Palace Museum represents a comprehensive record of Chinese ceramic production over the past 8,000 years, as well as one of the largest such collections in the world. The collection is based on the palace collection of the
Ming and
Qing dynasties. The personal interest of emperors such as
Qianlong meant that one of the most important collections of paintings in Chinese history was held at the palace. However, a significant portion of this collection was lost. After his abdication, Puyi transferred paintings out of the palace, and many of these were subsequently lost or destroyed. In 1948, some of the best parts of the collection were moved to
Taiwan. The collection has since been gradually replenished, through donations, purchases, and transfers from other museums.
Jade Jade has a unique place in
Chinese culture. The museum's collection, mostly derived from the imperial collection, includes some 30,000 pieces. The pre-
Yuan dynasty part of the collection includes several pieces famed throughout history, as well as artifacts from more recent archaeological discoveries. The earliest pieces date from the
Neolithic period. Ming dynasty and Qing dynasty pieces, on the other hand, include both items for palace use, as well as tribute items from around the empire and beyond.
Sculpture Bronzeware Bronze holds an important place in Chinese culture, and was always an important part of state ceremony. The Palace Museum's bronze collection dates from the early
Shang dynasty. Of the almost 10,000 pieces held, about 1600 are inscribed items from the pre-
Qin period (to 221 BC). A significant part of the collection is ceremonial bronzeware from the imperial court, including complete sets of musical instruments used by the imperial orchestras.
Timepiece The Palace Museum has one of the largest collections of mechanical timepieces of the 18th and 19th centuries in the world, with more than 1,000 pieces. The collection contains both Chinese- and foreign-made pieces. Chinese pieces came from the palace's own workshops,
Guangzhou (Canton) and
Suzhou (Suchow). Foreign pieces came from countries including
Britain,
France,
Switzerland, the
United States and
Japan. Of these, the largest portion come from Britain. Notable pieces in the collection include a clock with an attached
automaton which is able to write, with a miniature
writing brush on inserted paper, an auspicious couplet in perfect
Chinese calligraphy.
Palace artifact In addition to works of art, a large proportion of the museum's collection consists of the artifacts of the imperial court. This includes items used by the imperial family and the palace in daily life, as well as various ceremonial and bureaucratic items important to government administration. This comprehensive collection preserves the daily life and ceremonial protocols of the imperial era. ==Exhibitions==