Reviving the Past: Antiquity & Antiquarianism in East Asian Art | Circuits of Exchange: The Global Taste for Blue-and-White Ceramics

Exhibition

Exhibition Overview

Image not available
Reviving the Past: Antiquity & Antiquarianism in East Asian Art | Circuits of Exchange: The Global Taste for Blue-and-White Ceramics
Kris Ercums, curator
March 3, 2009–September 20, 2009
Asia Gallery, Spencer Museum of Art, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas
Mass production of blue-and-white porcelain began sometime in the fourteenth century in Jingdezhen, China, and grew steadily in popularity over the next few centuries. The “blue” refers to the cobalt-derived under-glazing used to decorate the pristine “white” porcelain body. Eventually, global demand for blue-and-white stimulated an immense network of international trade that linked Europe, the Americas, Africa, and Southeast Asia together in a complex “circuit of exchange.” The objects in this case, drawn entirely from the Spencer’s permanent collection, explore the wide variety of decorative styles and vessel shapes created by ceramic artists across the greater Eurasian landmass.

Works of art

boy riding pony (tomb figure)
1100s–1200s, Jin dynasty (1115–1234)
water dropper
late 1890s, Joseon dynasty (1392–1910)
chariot fitting
circa 100, Han dynasty (206 BCE–220 CE)
fubako 文箱 (letter box)
1800s, Edo period (1600–1868) to early Meiji period (1868–1912)
covered jar with huang-shaped handles
mark and reign of Qianlong period (1736–1795), Qing dynasty (1644–1911)
bowl
1600s–early 1700s, Safavid dynasty (1501–1732)
saucer with landscape
1750s, Qing dynasty (1644–1911)
bowl
mid 1800s, Qing dynasty (1644–1911), mark and reign of Daoguang (1821–1850)
壺 hu (vase)
late 1700s–early 1800s, Qing dynasty (1644–1911)
cong-shaped vase with bagua motif
mid 1700s, mark and reign of Qianlong period (1736–1795), Qing dynasty (1644–1911)
garlic-bulb vase
late 1800s, Meiji period (1868–1912)
Miyagawa Kōzan (1842–1916), gu vase
1897–1912, Meiji period (1868–1912)
plate with seashells
1700s, Edo period (1600–1868)
kendi (ritual water sprinkler)
early 1600s, Wanli period (1573–1620), Ming dynasty (1368–1644)