Natural History, panel 15 of 18
Oil on canvas, 26” x 26”
The Seventh Voyage Of Zheng He
Zheng He’s patron emperor, Yongle Emperor, died in 1424, a new Emperor ordered the voyages stopped. The new Emperor subsequently died in 1425. Yongle Emperor’s grandson became Emperor and ordered one last voyage in January 1431. Sinbad commended 300 ships and 27,500 men. They travel to Vietnam, Java, Sumatra, Malay, Ceylon, Calicut, Hormuz and Kenya. Zheng He died in Calicut around 1433. To this day, there are still Zheng He temples in Southeast Asia where people pray for safe travels. I imagine Zheng He walking down S.M. Street in Calicut and slowly dissolving into the mist of history, the incense of temples and the smoke from the genie’s lamp...