Large jar with a lid, Ming dynasty (1368-1644), Reign of the Jiajing emperor (1522-1566), Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province. Porcelain with underglaze blue decoration. H. 26 in x W. 20 in. The Avery Brundage Collection, B60P99+.a-.b© 2016 Asian Art Museum Chong-Moon Lee Center for Asian Art and Culture.

During the Mongol-ruled Yuan dynasty (1279– 1368), an artistic revolution inspired by Islamic art took place. This can be seen in the white porcelain painted with underglaze designs of deep cobalt blue, known as blue-and-white porcelain. This significant aesthetic redirection in Chinese ceramics dominated both the domestic market and ceramic trade throughout the world for centuries until modern times.

Keen to establish the legitimacy of his rule, Ming-dynasty founder Zhu Yuanzhang issued directives concerning rituals and daily life, which strictly regulated the use of the dragon and phoenix in decorating court utensils. The official Ming workshop at Jingdezhen succeeded in producing some unusually large pieces, including this jar, used in the imperial palaces to hold wine or food. This impressive work is distinguished not only by the masterful pottering, but also by the dynamic brushwork in the design of dragons flying among misty oceans.

Imperial Manchu man’s semiformal court robe with twelve symbols of sovereignty, 1850-1875. Woven silk and metal thread tapestry. length: 53 in, 134.62 cm; width: 84 in, 213.36 cm. Neusteter Textile Collection: Gift of James P. Grant & Betty Grant Austin, 1977.196© Denver Art Museum

This bright yellow robe and the auspicious and symbolic images on it are finely woven in tapestry (kesi or ko'ssu) using silk and metal thread. Only members of the imperial family could wear robes of this color. The individual parts of the robe were woven to shape, cut out from a length of fabric, and assembled. In 1759, the emperor added the twelve Chinese symbols of ancient imperial authority to his Manchu court robes, acknowledging the importance of the two-millennium-old images. Related to the sacral duties of the Son of Heaven, the twelve symbols also represent the emperor’s wide-reaching power and Confucian values associated with a worthy ruler. Other auspicious symbols on the robe--the round red wanshou, the swastika-fret pattern and bats--wish great longevity and happiness. The red double-joy symbol, often found on wedding garments, is unusual on an official robe.

Manchu man’s semiformal court robe, About 1875. Woven silk and metal thread tapestry with painted details. length: 55 in, 139.7 cm; width: 84 in, 213.36 cm. Neusteter Textile Collection: Gift of james P. Grant & Betty Grant Austin, 1977.197© Denver Art Museum

Dragons, bats, and clouds appear in a sky extensively patterned with a gold grid. The four ruyi, or three-lobed forms that create a border around each small floral motif, say "may your wishes come true in the four directions." The swastikas in the alternating compartments multiply the wish ten thousandfold. The Eight Buddhist Precious Things--a canopy, a conch shell, a vase, a royal parasol, a wheel, an endless knot, a lotus, and a double fish--are woven into the waves and on the body of the robe.

Large bowl, Ming dynasty (1368-1644), Jiajing six-character mark within double-circles and of the period (1522-1566), Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province. Porcelain with underglaze red decoration. H. 6 1/8 in x Diam. 14 3/8 in, H. 15.6 cm x Diam. 36.5 cm. The Avery Brundage Collection, B63P10 © 2016 Asian Art Museum Chong-Moon Lee Center for Asian Art and Culture.

Manchu woman’s informal outer coat, 1875-1899. Silk and metal thread embroidery on brushed wool, length: 56 in, 142.24 cm; width: 58 in, 147.32 cm. Neusteter Textile Collection: Gift of James P. grant & Betty Grant Austin, 1977.201© Denver Art Museum.

The type of red, brushed wool fabric seen in this coat was originally used for English soldiers’ uniforms. Highly desirable for its vibrant color, it was imported into China and fashioned into temple banners, wedding hangings, and garments, such as this rare survivor. Although it is a winter coat, the robe is embroidered with plum, chrysanthemum, cymbidium, and bamboo--flowers and foliage from different seasons. This auspicious collection of blooms invites prosperity while the butterfly signifies joy.

Manchu man’s semiformal court robe, mid 19th century. Woven silk and metal thread tapestry with painted details, length: 54 in, 137.16 cm; width: 82 in, 208.28 cm. Neusteter Textile Collection: Gift of Miss Louise Steele, 1958.13© Denver Art Museum

Nine five-clawed blue dragons inhabit the clouds. The slanted, multi-colored stripes (lishui) at the bottom of the robe represent standing water above which the ocean surges and waves froth. At the front, back and sides, rocks representing the four directions rise up. Above in the skies are numerous red bats signifying happiness or good fortune. In roundels are attributes of the Eight Daoist Immortals, while the Eight Buddhist Precious Things appear in the waves and on the body of the robe.

Bowl, Ming dynasty (1368-1644), Reign of the Jiajing emperor, Jiangxi province. Porcelain with underglaze-blue and overglaze decoration. H. 2 1/2 in x Diam. 4 3/4 in, H. 6.4 cm x Diam. 12.1 cm. The Avery Brundage Collection, B67P26 © 2016 Asian Art Museum Chong-Moon Lee Center for Asian Art and Culture.

During the Jiajing-Wanli period, color schemes for polychrome decorations developed into various styles. One such style separated the use of underglaze-blue and overglaze materials, as seen on this piece. The interior is painted in blue with a lattice band around the lip and a chrysanthemum branch on the bottom, while the exterior is completely colored in red. The four-character mark in two columns reads wanfu xiaotong ("ten thousand happinesses everywhere in the world"). Since the mark appeared mostly on the underglaze-blue wares of the Jiajing, Wanli, and Chongzhen periods, this example presents an usual case of red colored outside.

Dish with landscape, Ming dynasty (1368-1644), Reign of the Jiajing emperor, Jiangxi province. Porcelain with underglaze-blue decoration, qinghua ware. H. 3 5/8 in x Diam. 16 3/4 in, H. 9.2 cm x Diam. 42.5 cm. Museum purchase, B69P10 © 2016 Asian Art Museum Chong-Moon Lee Center for Asian Art and Culture.

The immortal landscape on this dish is drawn in a flat perspective and built up with mountains, a pagoda, pine trees, cranes, and a bridge over an ocean in the center of the base. The interior edge is decorated with six pairs of cranes, one crane jumping into the water and the other hiding in the reeds. Repeated in triplicate on the outside, a squirrel-and-grapes theme is bordered with floral sprays around the lip and floral panels encircling the base. The underglaze-blue has a grayish tone. The unglazed base is unusual. With a motif that indicates liberation from traditional pictorial subjects, and a densely arranged spatial ground, this work demonstrates a late mode of Ming artistry.

Golden pheasant, second rank civil official, 1700s-early 1800s. Woven silk and metal thread tapestry with painted details, height: 11 1/4 in, 28.575 cm; width: 12 in, 30.48 cm. Neusteter Textile Collection: Gift of James P. Grant & Betty Grant Austin, 1977.229 © Denver Art Museum

Leopard, Third Rank Military Official, c. 1870. Silk embroidery on silk, height: 12 1/2 in, 31.75 cm; width: 11 7/8 in, 30.16 cm. Neusteter Textile Collection: Gift of James P. Grant and Betty Grant Austin, 1977.230 © Denver Art Museum

This badge has a black background with additional colors of orange, blue, green, brown, white, all stitched with silk threads. There is an orange leopard as the center motif, surrounded by an endless knot in the upper left. Other motifs include a conk shell on the left, two bats to the right and left of the leopard. There is a 3/4 border with blue and white embroidered and a bat motif at each corner. At the center of the border on all four sides is an orange Ji motif.

Tiger, Fourth Rank Military Official, 1850-1870. Silk embroidery on silk, height: 11 1/2 in, 29.21 cm; width: 12 1/2 in, 31.75 cm. Neusteter Textile Collection: Gift of James P. Grant and Betty Grant Austin, 1977.233 © Denver Art Museum

Mandarin duck, seventh rank civil official, late 1700s-early 1900s. Silk embroidery on silk, height: 11 in, 27.94 cm; width: 11 1/2 in, 29.21 cm. Neusteter Textile Collection: Gift of James P. Grant and Betty Grant Austin, 1977.251  © Denver Art Museum

Covered box with a dragon cavorting in the ocean, Ming dynasty, Jiajing six-character mark and of the period (1522-1566). Multicolor lacquer with carved designs. H. 3 1/2 in x Diam. 9 1/2 in. The Avery Brundage Collection, B60M308.a-.b. © 2016 Asian Art Museum Chong-Moon Lee Center for Asian Art and Culture.

The complex art of carving polychrome lacquer (ticai) reached its climax during the Jiajing period. It requires the application of layers of two or more colors at different levels. According to the color scheme and composition planned in advance, the artist carves down to the different sections to expose the appropriate colors.

Decorated with layers of multicolored lacquer, this round box with cover depicts a five-clawed dragon cavorting between heaven, represented by ruyi-shaped clouds against a background of air diapers, and earth, represented by the three rocks emerging among the waves, against water diapers. The hair and beard of the dragon are finely incised, unlike the spiky appearance of dragons of the Wanli period. The body of this dragon does not bear the usual scales; instead, it is decorated with scrolls in the form of clouds. It also has a bushy tail, not unlike that of the mythical beast qilin. Above the dragon is a medallion bordered by heads of ruyi (wish-granting wands), enclosing the two trigrams of heaven (qian, with three solid lines) and earth (kun, with three broken lines), representing the yang and yin bipolar forces of the cosmos. Because of the emperor's interest in Taoism, such symbols abound in the decorative arts of this era. Around the dragon is a narrow band of florets set in a hexagonal diaper. Four dragons appear in the outer section, enclosed by a narrow diaper border, and finally a band of classic scroll patterns. The same decorative bands, without the large dragon in the center, appear in reverse order on the lower section of the box.

The bottom is coated with dark lacquer and incised with the phrase Da Ming Jiajing nian zhi, or "made in the Jiajing reign of the Great Ming."

Round box, Ming dynasty (1368-1644), Reign of the Jiajing emperor (1522-1566). Red and black inlaid lacquer with gold inlay. H. 1 1/4 in x Diam. 3 3/4 in, H. 3.2 cm x Diam. 9.5 cm. Gift of the Christensen Fund, BL77M18.a-.b. © 2016 Asian Art Museum Chong-Moon Lee Center for Asian Art and Culture.

Chen Hongshou (Chinese, 1598 - 1652), Branch of Blossoming Prunus, 1622-1644, Ming dynasty (1368-1644). Fan. Ink on gold-flecked paper. H. 13 1/4 in × W. 24 in, H. 33.7 cm × W. 61 cm (overall); H. 6 5/8 in × W. 21 1/4 in, H. 16.8 cm × W. 54 cm (image); H. 20 in × W. 26 in, H. 50.8 cm × W. 66 cm (framed). Museum purchase, B83D1 © 2016 Asian Art Museum Chong-Moon Lee Center for Asian Art and Culture.

Chen Hongshou (Chinese, 1598 - 1652), Hermit in landscape, 1622-1644, Ming dynasty (1368-1644)-Qing dynasty (1644-1911). Hanging scroll. Ink and colors on silk. H. 93 5/8 in × W. 26 in, H. 237.8 cm × W. 66 cm (overall); H. 49 3/8 in × W. 19 1/2 in, H. 125.4 cm × W. 49.5 cm (image); W. 29 5/8 in, W. 75.2 cm (knob to knob); H. 27 7/8 in, H. 70.8 cm (upper border height). Museum purchase, B79D8 © 2016 Asian Art Museum Chong-Moon Lee Center for Asian Art and Culture.

A man wearing a loose robe and straw sandals stands in a landscape consisting of a few clusters of rocks, trees with red and green leaves, and floating clouds. In his right hand he holds a long stick that supports four strings of dried fruit; in his left hand is a greenish teapot with an overhead handle. He appears an eccentric individual, little concerned with social conventions. The artist lived in a time of economic, social, and finally military upheaval. Perhaps as a result, his figure paintings frequently depict such characters.

Signature "Hongshou."

Chen Hongshou (1598–1652) was born in Zhuji, Zhejiang province. A gifted painter of landscapes, figures, and flower-and-bird painting, as well as a calligrapher, Chen was selected to paint emperors' portraits for the Ming court during the reign of Chongzhen (1628–1644). He associated with members of the educated elite driven to poverty by historical circumstances and often supported them with finances obtained through painting. On the other hand, he often rejected commissions from wealthy celebrities.

Affiche Corps en mouvement.

PARIS - Pour sa deuxième saison, la Petite Galerie du Louvre, espace dédiéà l’éducation artistique et culturelle, propose de s’initier à la représentation du « Corps en mouvement ».

La danse est, cette année, l’invitée de la Petite Galerie, avec la participation du chorégraphe Benjamin Millepied, commissaire de l’exposition aux côtés de Jean-Luc Martinez, président directeur du musée du Louvre.

PARIS.- For its second season, the Petite Galerie at the Louvre, dedicated to art and culture education, is offering an initiation into representation of “The Body in Movement.” 

This year dance is the guest at the Petite Galerie, in an exhibition co-curated by choreographer Benjamin Millepied and Jean-Luc Martinez, president-director of the Musée du Louvre. 

Benjamin Millepied © Photograph courtesy of Patrick Fraser

Grâce à environ 70 oeuvres de l’Antiquité au début du 20e siècle (prêtées notamment par le musée Rodin, le musée d’Orsay et le Centre Pompidou), cette nouvelle exposition présente le défi que la représentation du mouvement a posé aux artistes et les réponses qu’ils y ont apportées.

Marcher, courir, suspendre son élan, mais aussi exprimer les « mouvements de l’âme » comme l’effroi : quelles conventions régissent la représentation des gestes et des attitudes ?

Si les oeuvres d’art sont par nature figées, les artistes ont toutefois cherchéà décomposer le mouvement avant même l’apparition de la chronophotographie, qui ouvrit de nouvelles perspectives aux artistes à la fin du 19e siècle. Cherchant à saisir le mouvement, les artistes des Avant-gardes, comme Degas et Rodin, se sont alors intéressés au monde de la danse. Autour de 1900, celle-ci connaît une véritable révolution, annonciatrice de la danse moderne : puisant aux sources de l’Antiquité, des danseurs tels que Loïe Fuller, Isadora Duncan et Nijinski proposent une nouvelle gestique en rupture avec le ballet classique. Arts chorégraphiques et arts visuels tissent alors des liens étroits. 

Comprising some 70 artworks ranging from antiquity to the early 20th century—lent notably by the Musée Rodin, the Musée d’Orsay, and the Centre Pompidou—this new exhibition looks at the challenges facing artists in their representation of movement, and the solutions they have come up with. 

Walking, running, stopping in your tracks—not to mention such “movements of the soul” as terror: what conventions govern representation of the movements and postures involved? 

Artworks are by nature static, but artists were trying to anatomize movement long before chronophotography came along and opened up new perspectives for them in the late 19th century. In their efforts to capture movement avant-garde artists like Degas and Rodin turned to the world of dance. Around 1900, drawing on antiquity and the work of dancers like Loie Fuller and Nijinsky, the discipline underwent its own revolution: an innovative gestural repertoire and a break with classical ballet that foreshadowed modern dance. Thus choreography and the visual arts intermeshed.  

Jean Bologne, dit Giambologna, Mercure volant, Paris, musée du Louvre© Musée du Louvre, dist. RMN - Grand Palais / Thierry Ollivier

Un lieu pour s’initier à l’art

La Petite Galerie a pour ambition de donner aux visiteurs des clés d’observation et d’explication des oeuvres, pour faire de la visite au musée un moment de plaisir et de découverte.

Dans l’exposition « Corps en mouvement », les textes et outils de médiation accompagnant les oeuvres incitent le visiteur à observer certains détails. L’application Petite Galerie est enrichie d’une sélection d’oeuvres commentées par le chorégraphe Benjamin Millepied.

Dans le département des Sculptures, tout proche, un parcours invite à prolonger la visite du musée à la découverte d’autres oeuvres représentant le mouvement des corps.

Conçue pour rendre l’art accessible à tous, la Petite Galerie s’inscrit dans la volonté d’offrir aux visiteurs un Louvre plus accueillant, plus lisible et plus généreux.

A place for learning about art 

The Petite Galerie’s aim is to provide visitors with keys to the observation and explanation of artworks, as part of a museum experience that combines discovery with pleasure. 

The texts and cultural mediation material accompanying the “Body in Movement” exhibition encourage a focus on certain details. The Petite Galerie application also includes works selected and commented on by the choreographer Benjamin Millepied. 

In the nearby Department of Sculptures a special viewing itinerary is an opportunity to extend the visit and get to know other works portraying bodily movement. 

The Petite Gallery has been created to make art accessible to all, and to offer visitors a Louvre that is more welcoming, more outgoing, and easier to understand. 

Pierre Paul Rubens, La Kermesse ou Noce de village, 1635-1638. Paris, musée du Louvre © RMN-Grand Palais (musée du Louvre) / Franck Raux

6 octobre 2016 - 3 juillet 2017

Commissaires : Jean-Luc Martinez, président-directeur du musée du Louvre et Benjamin Millepied, chorégraphe.
Chef de projet : Florence Dinet, musée du Louvre.

Figurine de jeune fille dite Danseuse Titeux, vers 350 avant J.C., Acropole d’Athènes(Grèce). Paris, musée du Louvre© RMN-Grand Palais (musée du Louvre) / René-Gabriel Ojéda

Homme marchant égyptien. Assiout (Moyenne Egypte), vers 1800 avant J.C. Paris, musée du Louvre © musée du Louvre, Dist. RMN-Grand Palais / Christian Decamps

Claude Dejoux Saint Sébastien, 1778. Paris, musée du Louvre © Musée du Louvre, Dist. RMN-Grand Palais / Pierre Philibert

Alexandre Calder, Le lanceur de poids, 1929 © Centre Pompidou, MNAM-CCI, Dist. RMNGrand Palais / Georges Meguerditchian © 2016 Calder Foundation New York / ADAGP, Paris

Coupe à figures noires : course à pied . Athènes, vers 530 av. J.-C. Paris, musée du Louvre © RMN-Grand Palais (musée du Louvre) / Stéphane Maréchalle

Auguste et Louis Lumière Film Lumière n° 765,1 - Danse serpentine, [II], Lyon, fondation Louis Lumière © Institut Lumière

Eadweard Muybridge, Cheval au galop, 1887. Paris, musée d’Orsay, don de la Fondation Kodak-Pathé, 1983 © Musée d'Orsay, Dist. RMN-Grand Palais / Patrice Schmidt

Hippomène et Atalante, vers 1715—1720. Paris, musée du Louvre © RMN-Grand Palais (musée du Louvre) / Stéphane Maréchalle

Théodore Géricault, Course de chevaux, dit Le Derby d'Epsom, 1821. Paris, musée du Louvre© RMN-Grand Palais (musée du Louvre) / Philippe Fuzeau

Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux, Les Trois Grâces, vers 1873. Paris, musée d’Orsay © RMN-Grand Palais (musée d'Orsay) / Stéphane Maréchalle

Faunesse dansant, Paris, musée du Louvre © RMN-Grand Palais (musée du Louvre) / Stéphane Maréchalle

Edgar Degas, Danseuse, position de quatrième devant sur la jambe gauche, première étude. Paris, musée d’Orsay © RMN-Grand Palais (musée d'Orsay) / Hervé Lewandowski

Auguste Rodin, Mouvement de danse F, 1911. Paris, musée d’Orsay, dépôt du musée Rodin © Musée Rodin / Pauline Hisbacq 

Adolf de Meyer, Nijinski et une danseuse, 1914. Paris, musée d’Orsay© RMN-Grand Palais (musée d'Orsay) / Droits réservés 

Colonne des danseuses de Delphes. Paris, musée du Louvre © RMN-Grand Palais (musée du Louvre) / Hervé Lewandowski

A close-up of the bowl. Photo by Robert Hunter. 

PHILADELPHIA, PA.- At first glance it may seem unassuming, but a small, white bowl uncovered during an archaeological excavation in Philadelphia has thrilled the ceramics world. The bowl marks the first physical proof of American-made true, hard-paste porcelain ever found and will be on view for the first time at The New York Ceramics & Glass Fair, at the Bohemian National Hall from January 19 to 22, 2017.  

Hard-paste – or true – porcelain, first produced by Chinese potters around the 7th century A.D., is notable for its desirable degree of translucency. Attempts to replicate the process were ongoing throughout the Western world in the 18th century.  

“One of the most intriguing stories in the world of ceramic history is the search for the secrets of making hard-paste porcelain,” said Robert Hunter, editor of Ceramics in America and an author and archaeologist. “The search, however, for physical evidence of making true porcelain in 18th century America has been frustratingly unsuccessful – until now. The discovery of this bowl is like finding the holy grail of American ceramics, and is a thrilling addition to the history of the American effort to produce this coveted material.”  

A white punch bowl is being examined and discussed in the archaeological laboratory of Commonwealth Heritage Group, Inc., West Chester, Pennsylvania, February 2016. Photo by Robert Hunter.

Recovered in 2014 from among nearly 85,000 artifacts found on the site of the new Museum of the American Revolution by archaeologists from Commonwealth Heritage Group, the bowl was initially thought to have a stoneware body. However, subsequent material analysis by Dr. J. Victor Owen, an expert on the geochemistry of archaeological ceramics and glass, and his colleagues revealed that the 18th century punch bowl is true-porcelain that had most likely been manufactured in Philadelphia. 

The findings are presented in the January issue of Ceramics in America by Hunter and Juliette Gerhardt, lab director from Commonwealth Heritage Group. An analysis of the geochemistry by Owen colleagues also is included in the issue. Ceramics in America is an annual journal published by the Chipstone Foundation of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 

As part of the Fair’s lecture series, Hunter will discuss the discovery and significance of the bowl on Thursday, Jan. 19 at 2 p.m. It will then be returned to the Museum of the American Revolution, where it will be displayed in a gallery dedicated to examples of “homespun” American goods when the Museum opens on April 19, 2017.  

“The discovery of this remarkable little bowl reminds us that the 'buy local' movement has very deep roots in American history,” said Dr. R. Scott Stephenson, Vice President of Collections, Exhibitions, and Programming at the Museum of the American Revolution. “It is also an important reminder that when colonists boycotted imported British goods as a way to protest Parliamentary taxation, they did not have to settle for crude versions of beloved luxuries from abroad. Colonial tradespeople produced elegant textiles and ceramics for a market eager use the ‘power of the purse’ to make a political point.” 

Archaeologists from Commonwealth Heritage Group, Inc. conducted fieldwork at the site of the new Museum of the American Revolution, from July through October 2014 and briefly in April 2015 and May 2016, uncovering a record of occupation from the earliest settlement of Philadelphia through the mid-20th century. Most of the artifacts were found in brick-lined privy and well shafts. The features contained an enormous quantity of of ceramics, including locally made Philadelphia objects and imported English, German, and Chinese wares, among other artifacts.

Bowl with moulded peony decoration, Vietnam, 12th century-13th century, earthenware, olive glaze, 4.5 × 13.0 cm diameter. Gift of Zorica McCarthy, 2010, 2010.336 © National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne