When two turbaned Samarkandis reached the borderland of the Middle Kingdom, they offered the Chenghua Emperor (r. 1464–87) a magnificent foreign beast, a lioness. The long journey across the Central Asia heartland had tired the animal; nevertheless, it appeared majestic. The court painter dutifully reproduced this scene. The resulting painting, The Lioness (1483), will be featured at Rossi & Rossi in From the Himalayas to the Heartland, on view from 24 September until 5 November 2022.

Over the painting is a fu, or prose, written by Chenghua, himself. The emperor was well versed in the art of poetry and calligraphy, and his fu speaks of this unique tribute, which was sent by Sultan Ahmed of Samarkand. It describes, at length, the mysterious and portentous animal of the distant western states and is signed with the sultan’s personal seal. 

This event was documented in The Standard History of the Ming (Ming-Shih), under the section titled Samarkand, in the fourth chapter named Western Region. Such an offering illustrates the workings of the imperial Ming dynasty’s tribute system, in which a network of trade, ritualistic and diplomatic exchanges existed between the Emperor of China and the heads of state of various nations in Asia. The Ming emperor was recognised as the centre of power and representatives of other polities were required to journey to the Chinese capital periodically. They brought distinct treasures from their respective lands to present to the emperor as gestures of good will and solidarity. 

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