Product Description

Although the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, is well known for its extensive holdings of Chinese ceramics, many of the outstanding pieces in the collection have received little or no attention in print. This book remedies that omission. Designed for the general reader, it offers a selection of 78 objects, beautifully photographed in full color, with individual entries focusing on the aesthetic experiece they evoke and the cultural context that produced them. Featuring an essay on the history of the collection of Chinese ceramics, the book also includes brief sketches on the principal types as well as short texts about the archaeology of the tombs and kiln sites. An illustrated time line and a kiln map fill in the historical and geographical settings for nearly 5,000 years of Chinese ceramic art.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #663024 in Books
• Published on: 2001-10-15
• Released on: 2002-01-02
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 192 pages

About the Author
Wu Tung, Matsutaro Shoriki Curator of Asian Art and Head of the Department of Art of Asia, Oceania, and Africa, has written extensively about Chinese art. His previous works include "Masterpieces of Chinese Painting" and "Tales from the Land of Dragons."

Customer Reviews

Beautifully Done And Well Illustrated
A very nice text for a scholar of Chinese ceramics, and or cultured individual. Covers examples from Neolithic to Qing Dynasty. All of the photos are extremely well rendered, and scaled when appropriate to show close up details of the more important technical aspects of style. Many of the pieces are shown from various angles so as not to obscure hidden structure and detail. Every item represented is provided with dimensions which makes this book a valuable reference source. The author's very disciplined selection of pieces represent as broad a perspective of relevant styles as possible for a book of it's size, and single museum souce. Highly Recommend.

Beautifully Done And Well Illustrated
A very nice text for a scholar of Chinese ceramics, and or cultured individual. Covers examples from Neolithic to Qing Dynasty. All of the photos are extremely well rendered, and scaled when appropriate to show close up details of the more important technical aspects of style. Many of the pieces are shown from various angles so as not to obscure hidden structure and detail. Every item represented is provided with dimensions which makes this book a valuable reverence source. The author's very disciplined selection of pieces represent as broad a perspective of relevant styles as possible. Highly Recommend.

A note of interest
Overall, the book is of high quality. All the pictures were well taken. The pieces included were exceptional good pieces from different Chinese Dynasties. It is a book for those who have profound interest in Chinese works of art.

Readers should pay special attention to the Ruyao saucer which arouses lots of discussions among professional dealers and serious collectors. It is a very controversial piece which needs to be more thoroughly studied and examined; and compared to the existing samples in different museums and private collections around the world. Without seeing and examining the piece in person, one cannot say for sure if it is a well-sought-after Ru ware or just a later copy.