Arts of China (Decorative Arts of Later Imperial China, 1000-1900)
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
the non-Western or pre-1800 requirement.