INCENSE IN EAST ASIA
Incense is complex, it takes many forms and can contain a wide variety of plants and minerals, reflecting the cultures and tasks for which it was used. It was known to have been used in ancient India, mentioned in the Rigveda, circa 1500-1000 BC. In ancient China, according to archaeological reports studied by Susan N Erickson (Boshanlu: Mountain Censer of the Western Han period, 1992), incense burners, of the hill censer type (boshanlu) have been found in tombs dating to the reign of Han Wudi (r 140-87 BC)…
RAKU CERAMICS AND TEA
Japan’s history of ceramic artistry developed largely alongside the culture of drinking tea. The practice of preparing and serving tea, chanoyu (hot water for tea), gained popularity in the 16th century. Japanese tea practitioners initially used Chinese and Korean antique ceramics as tea bowls but began using newly made Japanese tea bowls, such as Raku ceramics in the 16th century.
Ceramics were part of the flourishing trade between Japan and Ming China (1368-1644) in the first half of the 15th century. Japanese merchants were also successfully trading with…
PATTERNS AND DECORATION IN THE JOSEON DYNASTY
Painted screens and porcelain ware that used decorative motifs and designs are the main subjects in this exhibition to explore pattern and decoration during the Joseon dynasty (1392-1910) in Korea. Dragons, peonies, books, and scholarly accoutrements are among the most popular subjects that developed into decorative patterns in response to social and cultural changes during the 1700s and 1800s. By highlighting patterns and colours, this presentation explores how Korean art vividly originated and offered powerful codes of communication, for example, …
JAPANESE PRINT MAKING IN 20th CENTURY
In the first decades of the 20th century, a new generation of print artists broke from existing traditions in Japanese printmaking to bring new energy to the traditional prints previously produced in Japan. By the end of the 19th century, the Japanese traditional print, ukiyo-e, had to face an unprecedented crisis. The cultural context of production was in the process of changing as prints were no longer being published, especially relating to the Yoshiwara district in old Edo (present-day Tokyo), a traditional ‘pleasure area’…
Asian and Islamic Works of Art
Chinese, Japanese & South East Asian
On Wednesday, 11 November, over 700 lots spanning many epochs and categories of Asian Art, from Chinese archaic bronzes to Japanese prints and Singaporean …Read More »
The latest shows from around the world
THE MAGIC OF EXPLORATION
From biennials and triennials to art summits, fairs, and cultural tours – countless art events now dot the globe and compete for attention and …Read More »
Object of the Month – February 2022
This month marks the New Chinese Year – and 2022 is the year of the tiger. To mark the event, we’re posting a Chinese …Read More »
Wang Keping
The Rodin Museum invited Wang Keping to take over the sculpture garden as his studio during May and early June. The project is a …Read More »
Tranquebar and The Danish Connection in India
Tranquebar (Tharangampadi) is a village in Tamil Nadu with an intriguing intercultural history – it has been the home to two Danish East India …Read More »