Download or read book Emperor Qianlong s Hidden Treasures written by Nicole T. C. Chiang and published by Hong Kong University Press. This book was released on 2019-08-15 with total page 167 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this stunning reassessment, Nicole T. C. Chiang argues that the famous Qianlong art collection is really ‘the collection of the imperial household in the Qianlong reign’. The distinction is significant because it strips away the modern, Eurocentric preconceptions that have led scholars to misconstrue the size of the collection, the role of nationalism in its formation, the distinction between art and artifact, and the actual involvement of the emperor in assembling the collection. No one interested in Chinese art will be able to ignore the ramifications of this important study. Emperor Qianlong’s Hidden Treasures: Reconsidering the Collection of the Qing Imperial Household argues that the size of the collection was actually smaller than previously stated. Moreover, the idea that the collection put the whole of the empire on display (and thereby promoted political unity) does not square with the reality that most of the collection was hidden away. Instead, the collection was primarily for the emperor’s gaze alone. Chiang further explains that the collection was largely the product of work done by many specialists working at the Qianlong court, noting that the emperor often assumed a more supervisory role. Preliminary drawings, patterns, models, and prototypes of the items made in the imperial workshops also formed an important part of the collection, as they served to establish standardized models used to run the imperial household. The collection was thus both broader and narrower than previously stated. ‘Chiang has identified many misguided assumptions about the Qing imperial collection. In their place, she proposes a new definition of an imperial collection that does not give primacy to art objects. This bold revisionist thesis may be controversial, but it is important and deserves to be read widely for this exact reason.’ —Dorothy Ko, Barnard College, Columbia University ‘Chiang makes a new argument which will contribute to the literature on Qing imperial art. She shows that a distinction should be made between the Qianlong emperor’s activities in commissioning objects from the palace workshop and his activities in accumulating, assessing, and cataloguing objects that went into what she calls the “imperial household collection.” This work will attract wide attention from scholars in art history.’ —Evelyn S. Rawski, University of Pittsburgh

Download or read book The Emperor s Private Paradise written by Nancy Zeng Berliner and published by Yale University Press. This book was released on 2010 with total page 264 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This exhibition catalogue offers a magnificent, thorough study of 90 objects from the Qianlong Garden in Beijing's Forbidden City. Objects include wall paintings, furniture, architectural fittings, ceramics, and stone. They have been on public view infrequently and only in the Qianlong Garden, which is now undergoing a 20-year restoration under the lead of the World Monuments Fund and Beijing's Palace Museum. The garden is a two-acre tract consisting of 27 buildings, their contents, and a mature landscape--the whole complex is characterized as a "multi-layered artwork." Following an introduction by Elliott (Harvard), Berliner (Peabody Essex Museum) presents the general characteristics of scholar and emperor gardens, and the early gardens of Emperor Qianlong, along with a minute analysis of the Qianlong Garden. Yuan Hongqi (Palace Museum), Liu Chang (Tsinghua Univ., Beijing), and Henry Tzu Ng (World Monuments Fund) treat the garden's subsequent history. Interlaced throughout are superb illustrations of the objects and the garden, followed by a catalogue with small illustrations of objects, and their curatorial data; a chronology; a comparative, annotated time line; maps; glossary; and Chinese pronunciation guide. This must-buy publication is a model of sensitive scholarship that places the garden and its objects in an understandable, universal context. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-level undergraduates and above; general readers. General Readers; Lower-division Undergraduates; Upper-division Undergraduates; Graduate Students; Researchers/Faculty; Professionals/Practitioners. Reviewed by D. K. Haworth.

Download or read book Women Collecting and Cultures Beyond Europe written by Arlene Leis and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2022-11-04 with total page 323 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book examines collecting around the world and how women have participated in and formed collections globally. The edited volume builds on recent research and offers a wider lens through which to examine and challenge women’s collecting histories. Spanning from the seventeenth century to the twenty-first (although not organized chronologically) the research herein extends beyond European geographies and across time periods; it brings to light new research on how artificiallia and naturallia were collected, transported, exchanged, and/or displayed beyond Europe. Women, Collecting and Cultures Beyond Europe considers collections as points of contact that forged transcultural connections and knowledge exchange. Some authors focus mainly on collectors and what was collected, while others consider taxonomies, travel, patterns of consumption, migration, markets, and the after life of things. In its broad and interdisciplinary approach, this book amplifies women’s voices, and aims to position their collecting practices toward new transcultural directions, including women’s relation to distinct cultures, customs, and beliefs as well as exposing the challenges women faced when carving a place for themselves within global networks. This study will be of interest to scholars working in collections and collecting, conservation, museum studies, art history, women’s studies, material and visual cultures, Indigenous studies, textile histories, global studies, history of science, social and cultural histories.

Download or read book Rhapsodic Objects written by Yaelle Biro and published by Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG. This book was released on 2021-12-20 with total page 236 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Zirkulation und Nachahmung haben einen wesentlichen Einfluss auf die Gestaltung der materiellen Welt. Die Beiträge des Bandes untersuchen, wie technisches Wissen, immaterielle Wünsche und politische Agenden die Produktion und Rezeption der visuellen und materiellen Kultur im Wandel der Zeit und Orte prägten. Sie gehen den Wanderungen von Kulturgütern unter besonderer Berücksichtigung ihrer Entstehungskontexte nach. Mit dem Begriff des „rhapsodischen Objektes" werden dabei die vielschichtigen, nicht immer in einem Zusammenhang stehenden Erzählungen der Objekte angesprochen.

Download or read book Plunder written by Justin M. Jacobs and published by Reaktion Books. This book was released on 2024-09-12 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A provocative reassessment of a popular narrative that connects museums, the antiquities trade, and theft. In this thought-provoking new work, historian Justin M. Jacobs challenges the widely accepted belief that much of Western museums’ treasures were acquired by imperialist plunder and theft. The account reexamines the allegedly immoral provenance of Western collections, advocating for a nuanced understanding of how artifacts reached Western shores. Jacobs examines the perspectives of Chinese, Egyptian, and other participants in the global antiquities trade over the past two and a half centuries, revealing that Western collectors were often willingly embraced by locals. This collaborative dynamic, largely ignored by contemporary museum critics, unfolds a narrative of hope and promise for a brighter, more equitable future—a compelling reassessment of one of the institutional pillars of the Enlightenment.

Download or read book The Inscription of Things written by Thomas Kelly and published by Columbia University Press. This book was released on 2023-11-14 with total page 382 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Why would an inkstone have a poem inscribed on it? Early modern Chinese writers did not limit themselves to working with brushes and ink, and their texts were not confined to woodblock-printed books or the boundaries of the paper page. Poets carved lines of verse onto cups, ladles, animal horns, seashells, walking sticks, boxes, fans, daggers, teapots, and musical instruments. Calligraphers left messages on the implements ordinarily used for writing on paper. These inscriptions—terse compositions in verse or epigrammatic prose—relate in complex ways to the objects on which they are written. Thomas Kelly develops a new account of the relationship between Chinese literature and material culture by examining inscribed objects from the late Ming and early to mid-Qing dynasties. He considers how the literary qualities of inscriptions interact with the visual and physical properties of the things that bear them. Kelly argues that inscribing an object became a means for authors to grapple with the materiality and technologies of writing. Facing profound social upheavals, from volatility in the marketplace to the violence of dynastic transition, writers turned to inscriptions to reflect on their investments in and dependence on the permanence of the written word. Shedding new light on cultures of writing in early modern China, The Inscription of Things broadens understandings of the links between the literary and the material.

Download or read book Anglo Chinese Encounters Before the Opium War written by Xin Liu and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2022-08-12 with total page 354 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Anglo-Chinese Encounters Before the Opium War: A Tale of Two Empires Over Two Centuries studies the fascinating encounters between the two historic empires from Queen Elizabeth I’s first letter to the Ming Emperor Wanli in 1583, to Lord Palmerston’s letter to the Minister of China in 1840. Starting with Queen Elizabeth I’s letter to the Chinese Emperor and ending with the letter from Lord Palmerston to the Minister of China just before the Opium War, this book explores the long journey in between from cultural diplomacy to gunboat diplomacy. It interweaves the most known diplomatic efforts at the official level with the much unknown intellectual interactions at the people-to-people level, from missionaries to scholars, from merchants to travelers and from artists to scientists. This book adopts a novel "mirror" approach by pairing and comparing people, texts, commodities, artworks, architecture, ideologies, operating systems and world views of the two empires. Using letters, gifts and traded goods as fulcrums, and by adopting these unique lenses, it puts China into the world history narratives to contextualise Anglo-Chinese relations, thus providing a fresh analysis of the surviving evidence. Xin Liu casts a new light on understanding the Sino-centric and Anglo-centric world views in driving the complex relations between the two empires, and the reversals of power shifts that are still unfolding today. The book is not intended for specialists in history, but a general audience wishing to learn more about China’s historical engagement with the world.

Download or read book A Companion to Chinese Archaeology written by Anne P. Underhill and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2013-02-26 with total page 900 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A Companion to Chinese Archaeology is an unprecedented, new resource on the current state of archaeological research in one of the world’s oldest civilizations. It presents a collection of readings from leading archaeologists in China and elsewhere that provide diverse interpretations about social and economic organization during the Neolithic period and early Bronze Age. An unprecedented collection of original contributions from international scholars and collaborative archaeological teams conducting research on the Chinese mainland and Taiwan Makes available for the first time in English the work of leading archaeologists in China Provides a comprehensive view of research in key geographic regions of China Offers diverse methodological and theoretical approaches to understanding China’s past, beginning with the era of established agricultural villages from c. 7000 B.C. through to the end of the Shang dynastic period in c. 1045 B.C.

Download or read book Museum Diplomacy written by Sarah E.K. Smith and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2023-09-05 with total page 259 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Museum diplomacy has come to new prominence in the contemporary moment. Museums have increasingly global agendas, advancing diverse international partnerships across the world. Moreover, they hold the potential to advance cross-cultural education and foster mutual understanding at a moment when we are beset by global challenges. Acknowledging the troubled histories of these institutions and their contested status, Museum Diplomacy: How Cultural Institutions Shape Global Engagement recognizes the pivotal contributions of museums’ global work, while also grappling with the significant issues, questions and possibilities that these activities raise. The collection features examinations of museum diplomacy by fifteen leading scholars and museum practitioners. These texts address global case studies that speak to museum practices related to objects, collections, and people, and charting foundational concepts and ideas. Taken as a whole, the book provides contemporary examples, grounded in historic context, along with provocations and explorations of best practices, providing points for reflection along with guidance for practitioners and scholars alike. Through these wide-ranging contributions, Museum Diplomacy also contributes a new understanding of cultural diplomacy that recognizes the vital diplomatic work of curators, museum administrators, and other museum professionals, as well as how these practitioners exert their own agency in ways that may or may not align with broader government and institutional agendas. Ultimately, Museum Diplomacy calls on the sector to rethink their perceptions of cultural diplomacy and embrace an expansive understanding of the diplomatic practitioner.

Download or read book The History and Cultural Heritage of Chinese Calligraphy Printing and Library Work written by Susan M. Allen and published by Walter de Gruyter. This book was released on 2010-03-26 with total page 251 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In China the tradition of a book society is longer than anywhere else in the world. Chinese paper making, calligraphy and woodblock printing date from very early ages, but have for a very long time remained almost unknown to the Western world. At the IFLA satellite meeting “Chinese Written and Printed Cultural Heritage and Library Work” in Hangzhou in 2006 the richness of present day book historical research and library activities in China has been presented by more than sixty papers. This fine selection reflects the width and depth of this extremely important and immense Chinese heritage.

Download or read book Treasures of the Dragon written by Sharon Leece and published by PPP Company Ltd. This book was released on 2007-08 with total page 194 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Treasures of the Dragon is a cultural walk through the precious jewels of Asia and the Middle East. Featuring artistic traditions, priceless artifacts, outstanding architecture, shimmering precious stones, Asian icons, museums with unusual collections and the religious arts, Treasures of the Dragon is the latest addition to the hugely successful Dragon series.

Download or read book Cultural Treasures of the World written by DK and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2022-09-13 with total page 442 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Take a guided tour through history and discover the most precious, iconic, and celebrated objects ever created. Revered, admired, and protected - every country and culture has certain artifacts that are prized above all others. Cultural Treasures of the World brings together more than 200 of these objects, exploring the fascinating and unique stories behind each of them. From the Bust of Nefertiti to the Benin Bronzes, and the Altamira cave paintings to Van Gogh's Sunflowers, these artifacts and artworks are revered for their beauty, artistry, or historical significance - and often all three at once. Discover how and why they were created, unravel the hidden meanings and symbolism they contain, and learn about the cultural legacy they have left behind. So what are you waiting for? Dive into this awe-inspiring history of art book to explore: - An immersive “visual tour” approach, combining stunning photography with accessible text and annotation - Feature boxes on cultural influences, symbolism, and technique offer additional context - Covers a wide range of regions, periods, and media – including sculpture, painting, jewelry, tapestry, rock art, documents, sacred objects, and more A treasure trove of human creativity that offers a fresh and unforgettable new perspective on civilizations and societies, Cultural Treasures of the World is the perfect gift for gallery- and museum-lovers, and armchair travelers everywhere. Doubling up as a great coffee table book, Cultural Treasures of the World combines stunning photography with detailed annotation to highlight key elements of technique, artistry, and symbolism, making this museum in a book perfect for anyone with an interest in art, history and culture alike.

Download or read book Travel Guide of Beijing China written by Ni Hao and published by DeepLogic. This book was released on with total page 282 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is the volume of Beijing among a series of travel guides ("Travelling in China"). Its content is detailed and vivid.

Download or read book History of Printing in China written by Zhi Dao and published by DeepLogic. This book was released on with total page 102 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The book provides highlights on the key concepts and trends of evolution in History of Printing in China, as one of the series of books of “China Classified Histories”.

Download or read book Forbidden City written by Jian Li and published by . This book was released on 2014 with total page 232 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book A Paradise Lost written by Young-tsu Wong and published by Springer. This book was released on 2016-11-25 with total page 231 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is aimed at readers and researchers who are interested in Chinese garden architecture, the rise and fall of Yuanming Yuan and the history of the Qing dynasty. It is the first comprehensive study of the palatial garden complex in a Western language, and is amply illustrated with photographs and original drawings. Young-tsu Wong’s engaging writing style brings "the garden of perfect brightness" to life as he leads readers on a grand tour of its architecture and history.

Download or read book US China Review written by and published by . This book was released on 2004 with total page 112 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: