Virtuous treasures:
Chinese jades for the scholar's table
17 November 2007 to 17 February 2008
The
University Museum and Art Gallery of The University
of Hong Kong is delighted to announce an important
exhibition of Chinese jades reflecting Chinese scholarly
taste.
Featuring over 140 jades, dating mostly to the Qing
dynasty (1644-1911), this exhibition brings together
for the first time jades from several private collections,
alongside examples from the Victoria and Albert Museum
in London, and the Art Museum of the Chinese University
of Hong Kong to illustrate the extraordinary achievements
of the jade carvers art. The exhibits include small
fondling items carved into pleasingly tactile forms
that were carried around to bring delight and inspiration
to their owners; specially-commissioned items bearing
the mark of individual artists such as Lu Zigang of
the Ming dynasty (1368-1644); and monumental jades
imitating mountains or ritual bronze vessels that
declared not only the taste but also the wealth of
their owners.
Jade
is unique in the history of Chinese culture and Chinese
art in that it has always been recognised as a material
out of the ordinary. As early as the Neolithic period,
jade was created into enigmatic forms suggestive of
solemn ritual items. Ever since that time, jade has
remained a material reserved only for the most significant
or momentous occasions. This was compounded by the
sheer difficulty of obtaining and working jade, which
made objects created from it both costly and labour
intensive, with a single piece taking many months
to complete.
Some
of the highlights of this exhibition feature the unmistakeable
taste and connoisseurship of the Qing emperors, with
a selection bearing imperial marks. Ever since the
Warring States period in China (475-221 BCE), the
qualities of this precious stone have been associated
with the qualities of an ideal gentleman: pure, constant
and incorruptible. While some of the jades in this
exhibition suggest a practical function, many more
reflect particular personal or philosophical concerns,
shedding light on the private interior lives of scholars,
artists, and officials, a role best exemplified by
the emperors themselves.
On
Saturday 17 November, Ming Wilson, Senior
curator of the Victoria and Albert Museum will give
a lecture entitled, 'Chinese jades in the two London
exhibitions 1935 and 1975', at 2:30 pm (in
English). On Saturday 8 December, Zhang
Guangwen of the Palace Museum will give a talk
on 'Appreciating Ming and Qing jades', at 3:00
pm (in Putonghua). These talks will take place
in the Museum and are free and open to the public.
No registration required. Please see
lectures
and events for other lectures and
events.
The
exhibition will also be accompanied by a fully-illustrated
catalogue with scholarly essays, available from the
Museum in December 2007.
Exhibition sponsored by Bonhams, Christie's and Sotheby's
