Long description

A colour cartoon from 1792 showing the British envoy Lord Macartney bending on one knee to the Chinese Emperor Qianlong. The Emperor is presented as reclining on a cushion. He wears yellow and green robes and a Chinese style pyramidal hat. He smokes a long pipe and wears an expression of contempt. The Emperor is surrounded by three courtiers, two of whose hands are hidden in long sleeves; the third holds an ornate sword. There is also a child holding a decorated balloon. Lord Macartney wears an 18th-century wig and carries a sheathed sword. He presents the Emperor with a sheet of paper and an array of small gifts. He is accompanied by a retinue that includes four men who hold a bird cage, a model carriage, a small rocking horse, a weather vane and the Union Flag. Their bearing is submissive.