Decorative Arts of Later Imperial China, 1000-1900
This
course offers an introduction to the material environment of China’s political
and intellectual elites during the last four imperial dynasties (Song, Yuan,
Ming, and Qing). It surveys the history of ceramics, jewelry, 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; ritual design; 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 will be held in museums and galleries. 3
credits. Satisfies
the geocultural or chronological requirements.