Empire of Things

Exhibition

Exhibition Overview

Empire of Things
Empire of Things
Kris Ercums, curator
Kate Meyer, curator
October 15, 2016–May 16, 2021
Gallery 401, Spencer Museum of Art, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas
Why do we collect things? Where do the prized objects and artwork in museums come from? Empire of Things asks these questions and more by exploring the relationships among objects, the people who made them, and the people who collected, studied, and displayed them. The exhibition includes a range of artworks, including architectural fragments, ceramics, jewelry, furniture, paintings, and sculpture.

Exhibition images

Works of art

head of Buddha
400s, Sasanian dynasty (224–651)
aryballos
late 600–early 500 BCE
bowl
1700–1735
rug
rug
1800s, Qajar period (1794–1925)
folding fan
late 1800s, Qing dynasty (1644–1911)
vase with lid
circa 1700s
wine ewer
1200s, Goryeo dynasty (918–1392)
melon-shaped ewer
1000s–1100s, Goryeo dynasty (918–1392)
shell-shaped lamp
late 1800s
tetsubin (kettle)
late 1800s, Meiji period (1868–1912)
cong-shaped vase with bagua motif
mid 1700s, mark and reign of Qianlong period (1736–1795), Qing dynasty (1644–1911)
bowl
1700s, Qing dynasty (1644–1911)
vase
Qianlong period (1736–1795), Qing dynasty (1644–1911)
jar
jar
1700s–1800s, Qing dynasty (1644–1911)
bowl
1700s, Edo period (1600–1868)
plate with seashells
1700s, Edo period (1600–1868)
seashell hanging vase
mid 1800s, Edo period (1600–1868)
vase
1800s, Qajar period (1795–1925)
ewer
1800s, Qajar period (1795–1925)
cup
cup
1800s, Qajar period (1794–1925)
candlestick
circa 1800s, Qajar period (1795–1925)
Bi Rongjiu (active late 1800s), snuff bottle with stopper
1890–1920, Qing dynasty (1644–1911) to Republic of China (1911–1949)
horses, snuff bottle with stopper
1850–1875, Qing dynasty (1644–1911)
Kinai School, 鍔 tsuba (sword guard)
1800s, Edo period (1600–1868)
Ishiguro Masakatsu (active 1800s), 鍔 tsuba (sword guard) with dragon flies
1850s, Edo period (1600–1868) or Meiji period (1868–1912)
birds and plum, snuff bottle with stopper
circa 1850s, Qing dynasty (1644–1911)
Osiris
Ptolemaic Period, 305–30 BCE
snuff bottle with stopper
late 1800s, Qing dynasty (1644–1911)
pair of Chinese opera figurines
late 1800s, Qing dynasty (1644–1911)
bowl
1200–1300s, Ilkhanid dynasty (1256–1353)
reflection ball
circa 1855–1890
loom weight
Middle Bronze Age (2000–1600 BCE)
weight with reclining lion
Neo–Assyrian Empire, 911 BCE–612 BCE
amphoriskos
late 600–early 500 BCE
vase
200s–300s, Roman Empire, 27 BCE–476 CE
苦瓜 kugua (bitter melon), snuff bottle with stopper
late 1800s, Qing dynasty (1644–1911)
sideboard table
mid 1700s
Isis and the infant Horus
circa 300 BCE, Ptolemaic Kingdom, 332 BCE–30 CE
morion (helmet)
1500s or 1800s
Enthroned Zeus
circa 100 CE, Roman Empire (27 BCE–476 CE)
Neptune
1700s
Tanagra figurine
late 300s–200s BCE, Hellenistic period (323–146 BCE)
toad
1500s–1700s
lion head finial
early 1400s
dolphin
300s–mid 400s, late Roman Empire (27 BCE–395 CE) or Early Christian (100–500 CE)
head from a sarcophagus
circa 300 BCE, Ptolemaic period (330–30 BCE)
side chair
circa 1710
torso of Apollo
circa 100 BCE–100 CE, Roman Empire (27 BCE–395 CE)
Torso of Venus
circa 100s CE
Saint Sebastian
late 1400s
coffee cup and stand
circa 1920s, Republic period, (1923–present)
Winged Eros with a Shield
circa 200s CE, Roman Empire (27 BCE–395 CE)
urn table
circa 1780
horse
early 1500s
Giambologna (1529–1608), bull
early 1600s
Hunting Scene
circa 2500 BCE, Old Kingdom (circa 2575 BCE–2150 BCE)
male figure
mid 1900s
ten-panel Coromandel screen
1800s, Qing dynasty, 1644–1911
Head of a bodhisattva
1100s–1200s, Southern Song dynasty (1127–1279)
brush holder
late 1800s, Ottoman Empire (1299–1923)
snuff bottle with stopper
late 1800s, Qing dynasty (1644–1911)
佛手 foshou (citron), snuff bottle with stopper
late 1800s, Qing dynasty (1644–1911)
tomb figurine head
Han dynasty (206 BCE–220 CE)
pair of dragon-shaped chariot fittings
circa 300 BCE, Warring States period (BCE 481–BCE 221)
game table
late 1800s
Ganesha
early 1900s
sofa
1830–1840
pair of lions
late 1800s, Qing dynasty (1644–1911)
fork
1700s
head
Greco–Roman Empire, 800s BCE–400s CE
ruyi sceptre
late 1800s, Qing dynasty (1644–1911)
fish-shaped pendant
1200 BCE–1000 BCE, late Shang dynasty (circa 1600–1046 BCE) to early Western Zhou dynasty (circa 1120–770 BCE)
miniature shrine
early 1900s, Meiji period (1868–1912)
saucer with landscape
1750s, Qing dynasty (1644–1911)
半支迦 Hanshika (Pāñcika)
1700s or 1800s, Edo period (1600–1868)
Jupiter
1700s
drunken faun
late 1700s
unrecorded Asante artist, weight
late 1800s–early 1900s
unrecorded Asante artist, weight
late 1800s–early 1900s
unrecorded Asante artist, weight
late 1800s–early 1900s
unrecorded Asante artist, weight
late 1800s–early 1900s
unrecorded Asante artist, weight
late 1800s–early 1900s
unrecorded Asante artist, weight
late 1800s–early 1900s
unrecorded Asante artist, weight
late 1800s–early 1900s
unrecorded Asante artist, weight
late 1800s–early 1900s
three tiles
late 1400s, Lodi dynasty (1451–1526)
head of a monk
1800s, Edo Period (1600–1868)
container
200–300s, Roman Empire, 27 BCE–476 CE
container
200–300s, Roman Empire, 27 BCE–476 CE
jar
jar
300–400s, Roman Empire, 27 BCE–476 CE
coffee cup and stand
circa 1920s, Republic Period (1923–present)

Events

March 11, 2017
Activity
1:00–4:00PM
Spencer Museum of Art, Gallery 406, John and Linda Stewart Gallery
February 19, 2017
Talk
2:00–3:30PM
Spencer Museum of Art, Gallery 401, Lester "Dusty" Loo Gallery
April 9, 2017
Talk
2:00–3:30PM
Spencer Museum of Art, Gallery 401, Lester "Dusty" Loo Gallery
October 26, 2017
Talk
10:00–11:00AM
Spencer Museum of Art, Gallery 401, Lester "Dusty" Loo Gallery
February 11, 2018
Talk
2:00–3:00PM
Spencer Museum of Art, Lester "Dusty" Loo Gallery, 401
March 11, 2018
Talk
2:00–3:00PM
Spencer Museum of Art, Lester "Dusty" Loo Gallery, 401
November 18, 2018
Talk
2:00–3:00PM
Spencer Museum of Art, Lester "Dusty" Loo Gallery, 401
December 13, 2018
Talk
10:15–11:15AM
Spencer Museum of Art, Lester "Dusty" Loo Gallery, 401
May 18, 2019
Activity
1:00–3:30PM
Spencer Museum of Art, Lester "Dusty" Loo Gallery, 401
January 26, 2020
Talk
2:00–3:00PM
Spencer Museum of Art, Lester "Dusty" Loo Gallery, 401
February 23, 2020
Talk
2:00–3:00PM
Spencer Museum of Art, Lester "Dusty" Loo Gallery, 401