"The traveling exhibition "Power and Glory: Court Arts of China's Ming
Dynasty" opens at the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco on Friday, June
27, 2008. The excellent catalog is organized by medium, with sections on
gold, lacquer and porcelain." - "The New York Times"
Ming vases have been long regarded as the epitome of priceless beauty.
Exploring the grandeur of the last native Chinese dynasty (1368-1644),
"Power and Glory" demonstrates why not just vases but Ming art of many
types has earned such acclaim.
The book catalogs an exhibition to be presented at the Asian Art Museum,
the Indianapolis Museum of Art and the St. Louis Museum of Art in 2008
and 2009. The exhibition gathered rare objects from China's prestigious
Palace Museum (Forbidden City) in Beijing, the Nanjing Municipal Museum
and the Shanghai Museum.
More than 200 objects in a variety of materials—porcelain, paintings,
textiles, lacquer, jade, jewelry, architectural elements, etc.—are
discussed in detailed entries. Essays by authors He Li and Michael
Knight, and a special contribution on Ming painting from Richard
Vinograd (Stanford University), provide background, context, and
interpretation.
