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FEBRUARY 2012
A Fragile Heritage, China Counts its Lost Ruins
January 2012
A Chinese Conundrum: Hong Kong Sales Slow Down
NOVEMBER 2011
Hong Kong Autumn Sales: Reading the Mixed Messages
OCTOBER 2011
Museum der Kulturen Basel Opens After Refurbishment
September 2011
Cover: World Heritage List New Sites
JUNE 2011
Thai Border Clashes Continue Around Preah Vihear Temple
September 2008
Classical Chinese Paintings in New York
Classical Chinese Paintings in New York
Anyone with an interest in classical Chinese paintings will have the rare opportunity to compare, contrast and learn from the paintings in two New York exhibitions on view at the same time – this exhibition and the China House exhibition of Imperial Ming Dynasty hand scrolls from the collection of the Xuantong Emperor (Pu Yi.) The logical step is to view this one first because of the discerning way it illustrates and explains the ‘hows’ and ‘whys’ of over 400 years of Chinese painting tradition. With that in one’s head, the China Institute exhibition will continue peeling this academic onion because the lessons of comparison, contrast and progression learned at the Met will continue into the China Institute’s assembly of some of the best of the early Chinese painting masters.
The Songzhutang Collection of Rhinoceros Horn Carvings
The Songzhutang Collection of Rhinoceros Horn Carvings
Rhinoceros horn has been prized as a precious material in China since ancient times and carvings are considered national treasures. Few collectors have been as passionate about rhinoceros horn carvings as Thomas Fok, owner of the Songzhutang Collection. His first experience of the material was through his family’s business in Chinese herbal medicine: rhinoceros horn is credited with potent medicinal powers. Soon, however, he became enchanted by the skill shown by Ming and Qing master craftsmen in carving this material, which at the time was more expensive than gold.
Rama and Sita: The Ramayana in Indian Painting
Rama and Sita: The Ramayana in Indian Painting
The Ramayana, one of India’s great epics, tells of the deeds of prince Rama, exiled with his wife Sita in the wake of palace intrigue. The heroic poem, written in 24,000 Sanskrit couplets, remains one of South Asia’s most popular literary works. This exhibition, at the Rietberg in Zurich, follows the action through all seven books and visitors to the exhibition can follow the journey and see the story unfold. When Rama’s beloved wife Sita is set upon by demons, he vows to win her back, with the help of the monkey general Hanuman and his army and finally, he returns with Sita to his birthplace, where he enjoys a long and happy reign.
The Lost Buddhas: Chinese Buddhist Sculpture from Qingzhou
The Lost Buddhas: Chinese Buddhist Sculpture from Qingzhou
IN 1996 ONE OF THE MOST significant archaeological finds of the 20th century was discovered when construction workers in the Chinese town of Qingzhou were levelling a sports field. Found by accident, like the terracotta warriors discovered at Xi’an in 1974, this extraordinary discovery brought to light a caché of hundreds stone Buddhist sculptures on the site of the long-ruined Longxing (Dragon Rise) Temple in Qingzhou in Shandong province in eastern China.