The Oriental Ceramic Society
Devoted to the study and appreciation of all aspects of oriental art
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THE ORIENTAL CERAMIC SOCIETY SPRING PROGRAMME 2010 PO Box 517 Cambridge CB21 5BE, U.K. Tel: + 44 (0) 1223 881328 Email address: ocslondon@btinternet.com Web address: www.ocs-london.com
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * After a busy summer with our very successful The World in Monochromes exhibition and seminar, we began our autumn programme with a most enjoyable evening at the new ceramics galleries at the Victoria & Albert Museum on 16th October. This was followed in November by a lecture given by Professor Li Jian’ An on underwater archaeology in China and new findings on Fujian ceramics, and in December we had a full house for Professor Peter Lam’s lecture on dating Qianlong Imperial ware. We look forward to Michel Lee’s lecture on 19th January on the image of the Westerner in Shekwan (Shiwan) ceramics, and the annual Bonhams/OCS lecture on 26th January on Japanese Meiji porcelain. The Society is rationalising its holdings of back copies of the Transactions. If members are interested in purchasing any of these please let us know, and we can send you details of the volumes that are still available. We also have catalogues from previous exhibitions for sale. The Society’s programme for Spring 2010 is outlined below, but for future programmes we would be delighted to hear from members who know of any new research that could provide interesting lectures, or if members have specific topics that they would be interested in having addressed in future lectures.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * All lectures will be held at 6:00 p.m. at the Society of Antiquaries of London, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London W1J 0BE, unless otherwise noted*.
Michel Lee “The “foreign devil” in nineteenth-century Shekwan (Shiwan) Ceramics”
The attitude towards foreigners in China during much of the nineteenth century was one of high anxiety and, at times, animosity that stemmed from cultural clashes between China and the West and the ever increasing trading ambitions of Western colonial powers. This was especially felt in Guangdong province. Canton (Guangzhou), the capital of the province, was the only designated port of the sea trade dealing with foreign merchants from the middle of the Qing Dynasty until the First Opium War (1840-1842). The potters of the Shekwan (Shiwan) kilns, about forty miles from the provincial capital, catered towards these anxieties by creating a repertoire of Shekwan ceramics that depicts Westerners in various subservient poses.
Although humiliating defeats by the British during the Opium Wars resulted in strong Cantonese resentment towards Westerners, trade with foreigners also brought much prosperity to the Pearl River Delta. With Guangdong’s long history of interaction with overseas traders, foreigners would have been associated with the status and wealth that came with commercial pursuits. The potters of Shekwan harnessed these associations with Western merchants (predominately European) that the Cantonese living in and around Canton would surely have seen. By symbolically lowering the status of the prosperous Westerner by putting him in a position of subservience, those who used these wares were at once protesting foreign interference in China and at the same time using the iconography of the foreigner in place of more traditional icons of wealth and prosperity. This talk explores the historical circumstances from which these Shekwan wares were made and how the Cantonese used these wares to respond to nineteenth century Sino-Western relations.
Michel Lee is the Curator of the Museum of East Asian Art in Bath, UK and a Council Member of the OCS. He received his BA in Anthropology at the George Washington University in Washington, D.C., after which he served as a Researcher and Project Coordinator in the Department of Anthropology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution. He played key research roles in the publication of catalogues and the development of both short and long-term exhibitions relating to Asia. Mr. Lee received his MA in the History of Art and Archaeology at SOAS. He is currently co-authoring a catalogue of a private collection of Korean ceramics, which will be published by the Smithsonian Institution.
Tuesday 26th January Annual Oriental Ceramic Society Lecture hosted by Bonham’s Dr. Shinya Maezaki, School of Oriental & African Studies “Meiji Porcelain Masterpieces in Chinese Imperial & Literati Taste” *Venue: Bonham’s lecture theatre, 101 New Bond Street, London W1S 1SR Time: Drinks 5.30 p.m. Lecture 6.00 - 7.15 p.m.
This lecture will be accompanied by an exhibition at Bonhams of relevant porcelains from a UK OCS member's collection, illustrating the topic. The exhibition will be on view in The Bill Brooks Lecture Theatre at 101 New Bond Street at the following times:-
Monday 25th January Tuesday 26th January 2010: 9.30 - 19.15 Wednesday 27th January 2010: 9.30 - 15.30 Enquiries: Christine Mitchell 020 7468 8248. N.B. See details of an exhibition of Meiji ceramics at the Museum of East Asian Art in Bath, on page 7.
Tuesday 16th February Dr. Clarence Eng “Architectural Ceramics and Problems of Context”
In traditional Chinese buildings, architectural ceramics both served to protect the vulnerable timber structures within and also, depending on their importance and the funding available, to ornament them. These components were specialised, highly developed and often skilfully formed and colourful. When discarded material from repairs or fragments from ruins appear as specimens in collections, some may be associated with known locations or identified by comparison with surviving buildings, but most specimens present intriguing questions of identification, origin and even purpose. This lecture addresses some of these questions by reference to two important Ming pagodas, the Feihongta in Hongdong, Shanxi Province, which still stands, and the Bao’ensita which stood in Nanjing until it was destroyed in 1854.
Dr Clarence Eng is an independent researcher with degrees from Cambridge and London Universities. During more than thirty years with Shell International, he held senior posts in China and the Far East. He has an MSc in Architectural History from UCL and a MA and PhD in Chinese art from SOAS.
Tuesday 16th March Annual Woolf Jade Lecture Professor Jenny F. So, Professor of Fine Arts, Director, Institute of Chinese Studies, Chinese University of Hong Kong “Impressions of Times Past: Chinese jades of the 12th to 17th centuries”
From her earlier research exploring jades from the Northern Song period (10th-12th centuries), Professor So has concluded that, contrary to general belief, Northern Song antiquarianism did not lead to the production of archaistic jades; neither did its literati culture lead to the production of scholars’ objects in jade. Archaistic jades and scholars’ objects emerged virtually hand-in-hand only during the Southern Song period.
The lecture will continue this exploration to focus on the emergence of archaistic jades from the 12th to 17th centuries, their relationships with scholars’ objects in jade, and their ideas of what constituted "antique" at the time. Artefacts recovered from recent archaeological excavations datable to the 12th to 17th centuries will serve as the main sources, augmented by relevant examples from public and private collections.
Professor So received her Ph.D. from Harvard University, USA, in 1982. She is an art historian specialising in ancient Chinese bronzes and jades. Before returning to the Chinese University of Hong Kong, she was the Senior Curator of Chinese Art at The Freer Gallery of Art and the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.
She joined the Fine Arts Department at the Chinese University of Hong Kong in 2001. She lectures on the history of Chinese jades, Chinese bronzes and methodology in art-historical studies, and supervises M.Phil. and Ph.D. students. Since 2002, she has also served as the Director of the Institute of Chinese Studies at the University.
Her research focuses mainly on art and archaeology from the pre-historic period through the Bronze Age, Chinese jades from all ages, i.e. prehistoric through 20th century, issues in archaism (in bronzes and jades, not painting and calligraphy), especially in early periods, and artistic exchange between China and beyond, from antiquity through Song-Liao periods.
Tuesday 13th April Huang Wei, Ceramic Institute Jingdezhen “New Findings from the Jingdezhen Transitional Kiln Sites”
The Transitional Period was a critical time in the history of ceramic development in Jingdezhen. These ceramics have been studied in detail by Western scholars, but they did not have available to them the recent archaeological discoveries that have been made in Jingdezhen, the place where all these wares were fired. This lecture is an attempt to fill the gap. For the past five years, our lecturer has been stationed in Jingdezhen, directly involved in all the archaeological investigations and excavations. Previously, it had been suggested that the Guangyinge site, on the fringe of Jingdezhen, was the production centre for Transitional pieces. Recent investigations, however, have proven that the centre of production was in fact in down-town Jingdezhen, in the area near Shibaqiao. In both quality and quantity the production there far surpassed that of Guangyinge. This lecture will introduce these Transitional kiln sites in Jingdezhen and will be illustrated by shards collected and excavated from these sites. An attempt will also be made to classify these shards into major categories and archaeological typography. Through these new findings, the lecture will illustrate the major and important marks like “Zhonghetang” (Zhonghe Hall mark), Wanzhushanfang (Ten Thousand Bamboo Studio mark) etc, and the special decoration techniques and styles, giving an archaeological and art review of the Transitional Period ceramics. Huang Wei (May Huang) is an art historian and Chinese ceramic archaeologist from Jingdezhen and is currently a lecturer at the Jingdezhen Ceramic Institute, teaching the history of Chinese ceramics and world ceramic history. She obtained her first degree in history at Anhui University, and her Masters degree in Chinese ceramic archaeology at Peking University. She has carried out extensive and pioneering archaeological research into the export ceramics of the Ming Dynasty on Shangchuan Island in Guangdong Province. (Shangchuan Island, better known to the West as St. John Island, was where St. Francis Xavier, the first Ming catholic missionary to come to China, was buried.) The ceramics found were contemporary with Francis Xavier and relate to the first commercial export of ceramics to Europe. This work was written up and published in Wenwu in May 2007. Huang Wei has been involved in other ceramic archaeological field work in many parts of China, including important sites in Jingdezhen. She has a special interest in seventeenth century Chinese ceramics and has lectured recently on the subject to the Hong Kong branch of the Oriental Ceramic Society and has written a paper on Chinese wares exported to Japan, to be published in April this year.
Tuesday 11th May Shelagh Vainker “Owning ceramics in the Northern Song dynasty: thoughts on who and how”
The high status of Northern Song ceramics is largely retrospective: during the dynasty itself, huge quantities were produced but few were collected or written about. How, then, do we understand how they were regarded, or what social functions they may have served? How were they used, and how were they experienced? This lecture will look at ceramics in various Northern Song contexts, and particularly at tombs, in order to establish firstly who owned or used which types of ceramics, and then to consider what significance the pieces might have held for different individuals. The importance of place of burial of particular wares will also be explored.
Shelagh Vainker is Curator of Chinese Art at the Ashmolean in Oxford, and University Lecturer in Chinese Art. She was previously curator of Chinese ceramics at the British Museum. In addition to catalogues and related articles on the Ashmolean’s collection of modern Chinese paintings, she has worked extensively on the Northern Song period, publishing on ceramics particularly and also on Northern Song silk, silver, lacquer and gold. Shelagh has been President of the Oriental Ceramic Society since June 2009.
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THE OCS DISCUSSION AND HANDLING GROUP
The OCS Discussion and Handling Group enjoy regular meetings at which members of the Society bring along items which they have collected for discussion. Each of these meetings is devoted to a particular topic and, although the Society has an especial interest in ceramics, other subjects are also included.
Two meetings are planned for this term. On Tuesday 2nd March, the Chairman and Trustees of the Sir Victor Sassoon Chinese Ivories Trust have invited up to twenty members of the OCS to visit Christie’s High Security Art Store in Vauxhall to view a selection of the ivories held by the Trust, at 2:00 p.m. Some of the Sassoon ivories are to be seen in the British Museum, the Victoria & Albert Museum, the Fitzwilliam and Ashmolean Museums, but this will be an opportunity to examine some of the important ivories that are currently in store at Christie’s. The address of the store is Christie’s Fine Art Security Services, 42 Ponton Road, Nine Elms, London SW8 5BA. Only members of the society who complete the form at the end of this Programme and return it in due time will be able to join the party, since a list of those attending the session has to be submitted to Christie’s. For this reason, the cut-off date of 20th February for bookings will be strictly adhered to. The Store is within walking distance from Vauxhall Underground Station, but full details about access will be sent to those who join the group.
Bonhams have once again kindly offered to host the second meeting on 11th May, which will be on the subject of Shipwreck Ceramics, and will take place in their lecture theatre at 101 New Bond Street, starting at 3:00 p.m. Shipwreck ceramics (and indeed other objects) made for export that have emerged from the deep, are of enormous value to all of us who are interested in Oriental studies. The type of vessels and their watery locations also tell us much about how the export trade was organised.
The invention and improvement of diving equipment during the past hundred years has seen more and more wrecks being located and investigated and the major auction houses are now often involved in the sale of many of the items that have been found. Many members have acquired these ceramics and this is an opportunity for us to look at these as a whole. Please bring any items that show evidence of having emerged from the sea as well as those that have labels showing that they are from wrecks such as Vung Tau, Ca Mau, the Diana and Hatcher wrecks.
If you intend to participate in either or both of these Discussion Group meetings, please complete the booking forms at the end of this Programme and mail to Phillip Allen as soon as convenient.
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The School of Oriental & African Studies, London University, are holding a 4-day course on Textiles of the Asian World, which will run from 15th-18th February. The course will combine lectures with visits to museums and galleries, and offers a practical guide to collectors and lovers of Asian textiles, who wish to develop their connoisseurship under the guidance of experts. Future specialist art courses include Ceramics of Asia in June and Chinese painting and illustrated manuscripts from South Asia and the Middle East in November 2010. For details contact Dr. Heather Elgood on 020 7898 4451 or email asianart@soas.ac.uk.
Islamic Art Circle at SOAS All lectures begin at 7:00 pm in the Khalili Lecture Theatre (Main School Lecture Theatre), Philips Building, SOAS, University of London, Thornhaugh Street, Russell Square, London WC1H OXG. For further information contact Rosalind Wade Haddon on 01608 730769 or email to rosalindhaddon@aol.com.
20th January Muslim Military Architecture: New data from the Citadel of Shayzar, Syria Professor Cristina Tonghini, Ca’ Foscari University, Venice 3rd February Guiding the Evolution of European and Persian Painting: the Power of the Intellect Abolala Soudavar, independent scholar 17th March Ottoman History as seen by Baroque artists Professor Hans Georg Majer, University of Munich 21st April Transitions in Late Timurid painting Dr. David Roxborough, Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Professor of Islamic Art History, Dept. of History of Art & Architecture, Harvard University 12th May Ottoman Art between Asia and Europe Mr. Tim Stanley, Senior Curator, Middle East Department, Victoria & Albert Museum, London
Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts & Cultures 64 The Close, Norwich, NR1 4DH. Tel: 01603 624349. Email: sisjac@sainsbury-institute.org. Web site: www.sainsbury-institute.org.
Thursday Lecture Series January 21st Creating the History of Japanese Art in the British Museum Princess Akiko of Mikasa, Art Research Center, Ritsumeikan University, Kyoto Venue: Sainsbury Institute February 18th Title to be advised Professor Aoyagi Masanori, Director, National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo Venue: Blackfriars’ Hall, St. Andrews Plain, Norwich March 18th The Ise Stories (Ise monogatari): Text, Image and Reading Professor Joshua Mostow, Robert & Lisa Sainsbury Fellow, Sainsbury Institute Venue: Sainsbury Institute
Admission free, advance booking recommended. Lectures start at 6:00 p.m.
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Christine-Ann Richards is organising the following two Asian tours in 2010:-
Contemporary & Traditional Ceramics in North China 8th – 26th May 2010 Neolithic pots, the Terracotta Army, Northern Celadons, Tri-coloured tiles for Nine Dragon screens & Cizhou Wares; visit contemporary and traditional potters, Datong & the desert kingdoms of Inner Mongolia The Silk Road in Central Asia: Kazakhstan & Kyrgyzstan 2nd – 14th September 2010 Issyk Kurgans, Turkestan & Otrar, Sauran, Dzhumbul, Akyrtas, Bishkek, Balasgun and Lake Issy-Kul Enquiries: Tel 01749 850208 or mail@christineannrichards.co.uk or go to www.christineannrichards.co.uk.
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THE BRITISH MUSEUM Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3DG. Tel: +44 (0)207 323 8181. www.thebritishmuseum.ac.uk. The Sir Joseph Hotung Centre for Ceramic Studies housing the Sir Percival David Collection of Chinese ceramics: Room 95 The Printed Image in China from 8th to 21st Centuries: 6th May to 5th September 2010. This exhibition presents the fantastic range of Chinese prints in the British Museum collection for the first time. Rooms 90 & 91. The Joseph E Hotung gallery of Oriental Antiquities from China, India, South Asia and Southeast Asia: Room 33. Arts of Korea: The Korea Foundation Gallery, Room 67. 7000 Years of Chinese Jade from the Collection of Sir Joseph Hotung: The Selwyn and Ellie Alleyne Gallery, Room 33B. The John Addis Islamic Gallery: Room 34 VICTORIA & ALBERT MUSEUM Cromwell Road, London SW7 2RL. 0207 942 2000. www.vam.ac.uk The new ceramics galleries are now open. Toshiba Gallery of Japanese Art and Design TT Tsui Gallery of Chinese Art The Samsung Gallery of Korean Art Jameel Gallery of Islamic Art
ASHMOLEAN MUSEUM Beaumont Street, Oxford OX1 2PH. Tel: +44 (0)1865 278000. Fax: +44 (0)1865 278018 eastern.art@ashmus.ox.ac.uk www.ashmolean.org Open Tuesday – Sunday and Bank Holidays, 10.00 – 6.00. Closed 24-26 December and 1 January
The Ashmolean Museum re-opened to the public on 7 November 2009 following a £61M, four-year redevelopment. The 39 new galleries include Japan 1600-1850; Japan from 1850; China to AD 800; China from AD 800; The Khoan and Michael Sullivan Gallery of Chinese Painting; Art of the Islamic Middle East; India to AD 600; India from AD 800; Mughal India; Asian Crossroads; West meets East as well as galleries devoted to textiles, money, reading and writing and other cross-cultural themes that include Asian material.
There will be temporary exhibitions of Japanese landscape prints and, in the Sullivan Gallery, an exhibition entitled The Past in the Present, showing examples of archaism in modern Chinese art. There will also be events relating to Japan in April, including lectures and tea demonstrations.
THE FITZWILLIAM MUSEUM, CAMBRIDGE Trumpington Street, Cambridge CB2 1RB. Tel: 01223 332900. Closed Mondays. Permanent exhibitions include the Oriental Gallery of Chinese and Japanese Art and the Gompertz Gallery of Korean Art.
BRIGHTON AND HOVE MUSEUMS 4-5 Pavilion Buildings, Brighton BN1 1EE. Tel: 01273 292763
THE MUSEUM OF EAST ASIAN ART, BATH 12 Bennett Street Bath, BA1 2QJ: Tel. 01225 464640. Email: info@meaa.org.uk. Web: www.meaa.org.uk. Two current exhibitions run until 25th April, 2010:-
“Seifu Yohei and His Contemporaries: Meiji Ceramics in the Chinese Scholarly Taste” focuses on the work of Seifu Yohei III (1851-1914), and his contemporaries Kozan, Sozan and Tozan. This exhibition showcases the beautiful collection of Meiji period ceramics made by Seifu Yohei and other contemporary potters, which are reflective of the Chinese scholarly taste (see OCS/Bonhams lecture on 26th January).
“Cutting Edge: Untraditional Papercuts by Three Contemporary Chinese Artists” showcases papercuts which move away from the traditional two-dimensional style by layering a series of painted papercuts, one on top of another, to create a sense of depth. In this way, the artists hope to contribute to the development of papercuts as a modern art form.
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The TEFAF Maastricht 2010 Art & Antiques Fair takes place from 12th – 21st March at the Maastricht Exhibition & Congress Centre, Forum 100, 6229 GV Maastricht, The Netherlands. Tel: +31 43 383 83 83.
The British Antique Dealers’ Association (BADA) Antiques & Fine Art Fair will be held from 17th - 23rd March at the Duke of York Square, Chelsea, London, SW3 4LY. For info, go to www.bada-antiques-fair.co.uk or telephone +44 (0) 20 7589 6108.
Arts of Pacific Asia New York 2010 will run from 25th – 28th March at 7 West 34th Street at Fifth Avenue, New York.
Art Antiques London, a new fair arranged by Haughton International Fairs, will take place from 9th – 16th June in a purpose-built marquee in Kensington Gardens, opposite the Royal Albert Hall. This will incorporate the International Ceramics Fair and Seminar. For details go to www.haughton.com or email to info@haughton.com or telephone +44 (0) 20 7389 6555. Complimentary tickets available for OCS members.
The Antiques Dealers Fair Limited is holding the following fine art and antiques fairs in 2010:-
15–17 January (NB amended date): Kilhey Court, Standish, Lancs. www.kilheycourtfair.com 26–28 February: Tortworth Court, Wotton-under-Edge, Gloucestershire. www.tortworthcourtfair.com 12–14 March: Linden Hall, Longhorsley, near Morpeth, Northumberland. www.lindenhallfair.com 23–25 April: Botleigh Grange, Southampton. www.botleighgrangefair.com 17–19 September: Stapleford Park, near Melton Mowbray, Leics. www.staplefordparkfair.com 8–10 October: Esher Hall, Sandown Park Racecourse, Esher, Surrey. www.esherhallfair.com 5–7 November: Tankersley Manor, Barnsley, South Yorkshire. www.tankersleymanorfair.com The Antiques Dealers Fair Limited. Tickets and enquiries: +44 (0)1797 252030. www.adfl.co.uk.
Penman Fairs are pleased to send OCS members complimentary tickets to their antiques fairs to be held on the following dates in 2010:-
5-7 February: Petersfield Antiques Fair, Hants. 11-14 February: Chester Antiques & Fine Art Show, Chester Racecourse. 17-21 March: Chelsea Antiques Fair, Chelsea Old Town Hall, Kings Road, London. 23-25 April: Chelsea Art Fair, Chelsea Old Town Hall, Kings Road, London. 3-6 June: West London Art & Antiques Fair, Kensington Town Hall. 25-27 June: Towcester Antiques Fair, Towcester Racecourse, Northants. 10-12 September: Petersfield Antiques Fair, Hants. 22-26 September: Chelsea Antiques Fair, Chelsea Old Town Hall, Kings Road, London. 21-24 October: Chester Antiques & Fine Art Show, Chester Racecourse.
Enquiries: www.penman-fairs.co.uk, Email info@penman-fairs.co.uk or telephone 01825 744074.
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Bonham’s, 101 New Bond Street, London W1S 1SR. Tel: 020 7468 8248 11th May Fine Japanese Art 13th May Fine Chinese Art
Bonham’s, Montpelier Street, Knightsbridge, SW7 1HH. Tel: 020 7393 3943 3rd March Chinese & Other Asian Works of Art 10th May Chinese & other Asian Works of Art
Christie’s, 8 King Street, London SW1Y 6QT. Tel: 0207 389 2574 11th May Fine Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art
Christie’s, 85 Old Brompton Road, London SW7 3LD. Tel: 020 7930 6074 12th May Japanese Art and Design 14th May Chinese Ceramics, Works of Art & Textiles
Sotheby’s, 34-35 New Bond Street, London W1A 2AA. 020 7293 6442 12th May Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art
Christie’s Paris 8 June Art D’Asie
Sotheby’s Paris 9th June Arts D’Asie
Bonhams Hong Kong 22nd May Fine Chinese Ceramics, Works of Art and Paintings 22nd May Snuff Bottles from the Mary & George Bloch Collection: Part 1
Christie's Hong Kong 29 May – 2 June Important Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art
Sotheby’s Hong Kong 8th April Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art
Bonhams New York 24th March The Margaret Polak Collection of Snuff Bottles 25th March Fine Japanese Works of Art
Christie’s New York 25th January Chinese Export Porcelain 26th January The Collection of Benjamin Edwards III Chinese Export Porcelain 24th March Japanese & Korean Art 26th March Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art including property from the Arthur M. Sackler Collections
Sotheby’s New York 23rd January Chinese Export Porcelain from the Private Collection of Elinor Gordon 23rd March Chinese Works of Art
Bonhams San Francisco 16th March Asian Works of Art 22nd June Fine Asian Works of Art
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