Connoisseurship

Exhibition

Exhibition Overview

Connoisseurship
Connoisseurship
María Román Navarro, curator
Asia Gallery, Spencer Museum of Art, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas

Organized by María Román Navarro, the Spencer’s curator of Asian art, this exhibition features a selection of objects from China and Japan illustrating several themes. Two of these themes are illustrated through Chinese objects. One is the use of visual arts in burial customs and the other is the representation of Daoist beliefs through icons and furnishings. The arts of Japan allow us to explore three other themes. The first considers the strength and ubiquity of Buddhist beliefs as demonstrated by both sumptuous images and mass-produced prints. Another addresses later Japanese history when Japan opened itself to Western influences. This aspect of art history is represented by prints and paintings incorporating Western ideas and techniques. The final theme explores the Japanese perception of ceramics as works of art, especially in relation to "texts" (potter’s marks and box inscriptions).

Works of art

Man Riding Pony
Sui dynasty (581–618)
Lady Riding Pony, tomb figurine
Sui dynasty (581–618)
female tomb attendant
600s, Sui dynasty (581 CE–618 CE) to early Tang dynasty (618 CE–907 CE)
male tomb attendant
600s, Sui dynasty (581 CE–618 CE) to early Tang dynasty (618 CE–907 CE)
Daoist Immortal
1800s, Qing dynasty (1644–1911)
lamp globe
1800s, Qing dynasty (1644–1911)
lamp stand
1800s, Qing dynasty (1644–1911)
Shichibei (circa 1840–1860), pedestal bowl
Shichibei (circa 1840–1860)
Edo period (1600–1868)
Kabasawa Kenji (born 1948), Namban mizusashi (Namban water jar with lid)
Kabasawa Kenji (born 1948)
1989
Itō Sekisui (born 1941), tsubo
Itō Sekisui (born 1941)
mid-late 1900s
Miyagawa Kōzan (1842–1916), bowl with chrysanthemums
late 1800s, Meiji period (1868–1912)
screen with osugata (Buddhist pilgrimage prints)
mid 1900s, Showa period (1926–1989); prints from Edo period (1600–1868) to Meiji period (1868–1912)
Warrior Haniwa
late 400s, Kofun period (250 CE–552 CE)
Nyōirin Kannon Star Mandala
late 1700s, Edo period (1600–1868)
Kannon (Avalokitesvara)
1300s–late 1400s, Nambokuchō period (1337–1392) to Muromachi period (1338–1573)
Gōshō Mandara (Mandala of Amitābha’s Welcoming Descent)
possibly 1800s, Edo period (1600–1868)
Inbutsu (stamp print) of Fudō Myōō
1200s–1300s, Kamakura period (1185–1333) or Muromachi period (1336–1573)
Mitsuyu Chihagi (active early 1900s), Seated Woman
Mitsuyu Chihagi (active early 1900s)
mid 1930s, Showa period (1926–1989)
Kawanabe Kyōsai (1831–1889); Sawamuraya Seikichi, Jigoku dayū (Hell Courtesan)
1874, Meiji period (1868–1912)
Okamoto Shūki (1807–1862), Peacock on a Rock
Okamoto Shūki (1807–1862)
early 1800s, Edo period (1600–1868)
Daishin Gitō (1656–1730), Daruma
Daishin Gitō (1656–1730)
late 1600s–early 1700s, Edo period (1600–1868)
Gako Tangen Chiben (1737–1805), Kanzan
Gako Tangen Chiben (1737–1805)
early 1800s, Edo period (1600–1868)