Attributed to Felice A. Beato
T'ien-ning Ssu T'a Pagoda, Peking1860

Not on view

Sepia-toned photograph of a thirteen-tiered stone pagoda with carved decorative relief on each story, framed by trees against a pale sky

Artist or Maker: Attributed to Felice A. Beato
Title: T'ien-ning Ssu T'a Pagoda, Peking
Place Made: Italy
Date Made: 1860
Medium: Albumen silver print
Dimensions: Image: 9 1/2 × 7 1/2 in. (24.13 × 19.05 cm) Primary support: 9 1/2 × 7 1/2 in. (24.13 × 19.05 cm) Secondary support: 20 5/8 × 14 1/4 in. (52.39 × 36.2 cm) Mat: 22 × 18 in. (55.88 × 45.72 cm)
Credit Line: Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Philip Feldman
Accession Number: M.83.302.38
Classification: Photographs
Collecting Area: Photography
Curatorial Notes: The Tianning Temple, located in the Xicheng District of Beijing, is one of the oldest surviving pagodas in China’s capital city. Built in the Liao dynasty (907–1125) and rebuilt during the Jin (1115–1234) using the advanced engineering techniques of the time, it reflects the evolution of Chinese Buddhist architecture through centuries. The octagonal structure, 189 feet tall with thirteen tiers, is constructed primarily of brick and embellished with intricate stone and wood carvings. The design fuses traditional Indian stupa styles (indicative of Buddhism’s origins) and Chinese architectural elements such as multiple tiers and eaves.

Felice Beato, an Italian-British photographer, spent several months in China in 1860, accompanying British and French military forces during the final stages of the Second Opium War (1856–60). He documented not only the war but also architectural monuments and daily life. Beato was one of the first photographers to create extensive visual records of China, and his work was sold to collectors, published in albums, and used as a reference for illustrations in periodicals.

Britt Salvesen

2025

Attributed to Felice A. Beato
T'ien-ning Ssu T'a Pagoda, Peking1860

Not on view

Artist or Maker: Attributed to Felice A. Beato
Title: T'ien-ning Ssu T'a Pagoda, Peking
Place Made: Italy
Date Made: 1860
Medium: Albumen silver print
Dimensions: Image: 9 1/2 × 7 1/2 in. (24.13 × 19.05 cm) Primary support: 9 1/2 × 7 1/2 in. (24.13 × 19.05 cm) Secondary support: 20 5/8 × 14 1/4 in. (52.39 × 36.2 cm) Mat: 22 × 18 in. (55.88 × 45.72 cm)
Credit Line: Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Philip Feldman
Accession Number: M.83.302.38
Classification: Photographs
Collecting Area: Photography
Curatorial Notes: The Tianning Temple, located in the Xicheng District of Beijing, is one of the oldest surviving pagodas in China’s capital city. Built in the Liao dynasty (907–1125) and rebuilt during the Jin (1115–1234) using the advanced engineering techniques of the time, it reflects the evolution of Chinese Buddhist architecture through centuries. The octagonal structure, 189 feet tall with thirteen tiers, is constructed primarily of brick and embellished with intricate stone and wood carvings. The design fuses traditional Indian stupa styles (indicative of Buddhism’s origins) and Chinese architectural elements such as multiple tiers and eaves.

Felice Beato, an Italian-British photographer, spent several months in China in 1860, accompanying British and French military forces during the final stages of the Second Opium War (1856–60). He documented not only the war but also architectural monuments and daily life. Beato was one of the first photographers to create extensive visual records of China, and his work was sold to collectors, published in albums, and used as a reference for illustrations in periodicals.

Britt Salvesen

2025