1793 · Ink and watercolour drawing
Macartney’s first meeting with the Qianlong Emperor
William Alexander, reconstructed from embassy testimony
Why it matters
Alexander travelled with the embassy but did not witness the imperial audience. His reconstructed and carefully keyed scene shows how a brief diplomatic encounter became a durable visual record from which later readers could infer hierarchy, ceremony, and refusal.
- Publication
- Embassy drawing later used to shape the official visual record
- Holding institution
- British Library
- Shelfmark
- WD 961, f.57
Alexander, William. The Emperor receiving the Embassy, with key to its members, 1793. Ink and watercolour. British Library, WD 961, f.57.
