Degree Programs

This introduction to the material environ­ment of China’s political and intellectual elite during the last four imperial dynasties (Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing) surveys the history of ceramics, metalwork, jade, silk, furniture, and lacquerwork. The discussion of representative artifacts touches on a wide range of issues, including collecting and ideas of self-cultiva­tion, taste, and decorum; imperial and aris­tocratic consumption; the iconography and social function of pictorial ornament; art pro­duction within an increasingly commercial environment; and international trade and the resulting cultural exchange. Some classes are held in museums or galleries. 3 credits. satisfies non-Western or pre-1800 requirement