2008 March Archive at 100 Best Books on Chinese Porcelain and Ceramics

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Archive for March, 2008

Wanli shipwreck and its ceramic cargo by Sten Sjöstrand, Sharipah Lok Lok bt., Syed Idrus, Tim Hartill et al.

Published

by

Jan-Erik Nilsson

on March 31, 2008

in the Maritime Archaeology, Ming Porcelain and Ship Wreck Cargoes category

. 1 Comment

This book is a highly readable presentation of Sten Sjöstrands latest maritime excavation adventure. It details the finding and recovery of a cargo of Chinese Wanli style “kraak” porcelain. The book sets a new world standard on how to report on martime salvage operations. To us who are long time members of the Gotheborg Discussion Board, it is especially comforting to among the acknowledgements find that our Tim Hartill has provided the bulk of the ceramic related research that this book references. Since this is a collected shipwreck where all pieces dates to more or less the same period it gives important information on which shapes and decoration that actually was made at the same time. And on this point it seems that the porelain history needs to be rewritten in some no small matters. This is no doubt one of the best books ever written about kraak porcelain and will become an important standard reference.

“The maritime archaeology of Sten Sjöstrand has led to major advances in the study of Asian trade and trade ceramics in Southeast Asia. His meticulous documentation of a series of nine shipwrecks from the 11th to 19th centuries reveals the early dominance of Chinese trade ceramics, a subsequent loss of the Chinese monopoly in the late 14th century when Southeast Asian ceramics entered the market, the basic parameters of the Ming gap shortages of the 14th-15th centuries, and a resurgence of Chinese wares in the 16th and 17th centuries. A lifetimeâ€™s experience with the sea and sailing allows Sjöstrand to bring new understanding to ancient ship construction, and his voluminous reading allows him to set the ships and their cargoes in historical perspective. This publication delivers the sort of precise data that will stand the test of time and be mined by future scholars for studies to come on Asian history. The thoroughness displayed in this catalogue is a testament to his passion and devotion to mapping ancient maritime trade and trade goods during more than two decades of dedicated work”.
Dr. Roxanna M. Brown
Director of the Southeast Asian Ceramics Museum, Bangkok University

We are also looking forward to a more full review to be published in the upcoming number of Arts of Asia.

JE

27 X 27 cm, 360 pages. More than 650 color photographs, sketches, tables and maps. High quality (150 gm) paper . Total weight 2.5 kilo

Thai Ceramic Art: The Three Religions by Guerin, Nicol & Dick Van Oenen

Published

by

Jan-Erik Nilsson

on March 30, 2008

in the Thai (Siam) category

. 0 Comments

Thai Ceramic Art

The publication is a detailed study on the 14th-16th century Thai ceramic wares that played a role in the local Buddhist and animist religious ceremonies, approached from an art historical point of view. It also establishes the degree of interaction between the many cultures that influenced the form, design, function and usage of these wares, and draws on the underlying historic, religious and stylistic linkages with India, China, Sri Lanka, Burma, Cambodia and other parts of Southeast Asia.

A background to the history, politics, and cultural practices of Thailand introduces the subject, followed by a systematic analysis of the Thai products. Throughout the study, comparisons are made with other Asian cultures, decorative styles and chronology, which add further dimensions to a hitherto relatively unexplored art form. With photographs, maps and line drawings.

The authors spent 20 years on the subject and examined over 800 pieces, consisting of sculptures of human beings as well as of animals, and a huge quantity of vessels made for various religious rites and rituals. They examined mostly glazed stoneware produced between 1459-1650, when the kilns at Sukhothai and Sri Satchanalai (Sawankhalok) flourished. These 800 pieces were in many different collections around the world and the authors visited many private collections and museums, including those in Singapore, during their research. A useful list of these collections is included in the book.

They did an excellent job detailing the many varieties of shapes and forms produced and adds a good introduction to the political, historical and cultural history of the period.

In her review of this book Dr. Roxanna M Brown, Director of the Southeast Asian Ceramics Museum, Bangkok University, calls this book foremost “inspirational” which I choose to interpret that it contains a fair amount of guesswork. I think we should be ok with that and just keep it in mind that we actually don’t have that much written history from 1000 years back in former Siam. We need to study, compare and interpret which I also take as the common meaning that the authors of this volume have done well. All in all, a highly recommended book.

Read her review here:

Format: Hardcover, 310 pages
Published: 2005, Singapore, 1st Edition
ISBN: 9810507364

The Quest for Eternity: Chinese Ceramic Sculptures from the People’s Republic of China

Published

by

Jan-Erik Nilsson

on March 30, 2008

in the Early Pottery category

. 0 Comments

Quest for Eternity: Chinese Ceramic Sculptures from the People’s Republic of China

This is one of the most useful books I have found for the study of early Han, Tang, etc. pottery figures. The illustrations are plentiful and streches over such a long period of time that it is possible for the reader to see the stylistic differences that sets the different periods apart.

The book is a catalog of an exhibition, organized jointly by Los Angeles County Museum of Art and Chinese Overseas Archaeological Exhibition Corporation, with four essays on Chinese beliefs in the afterworld, the Qin and Han tombs and mortuary architecture, funerary sculpture, and sculptural development of ceramic figures.

One of the more useful books on the subject. Not complete but I would not be without this one and for to recommend something to a beginner, this would be my first choice. Considering the price this book is available at, there are no excuse to not add it to your library.

The Canton Famille Rose Porcelains, Chinese Export Porcelain in the 19th Century by John Quentin Feller

Published

by

Jan-Erik Nilsson

on March 30, 2008

in the Chinese Export Porcelain category

. 0 Comments

Chinese Export Porcelain in the 19th Century: The Canton Famille Rose Porcelains

This booklet is only 45 pages and in about letter format. I like to recommend it anyway since it is knowledgeable written and the pictures are of good quality. It is a fine book to be sure, full of helpful and interesting information. I think this could actually be quite useful in particular on the US market where this porcelain is more common than in Europe at a very modest price. For dating, David Howard Chinese Armorial Porcelain II cover this period too and is more all round, so if you got Howard II, you might not find that this booklet adds that much. But, there is also a difference in size, price, and scope.

As a small comment I personally prefer to reserve the famille rose name to porcelain from the 18th century and to call this porcelain Rose Medallion family, but maybe this does not matter much.

As a pure curiosity the author was also a very special guy. There was a lot of talk about this at the time. The author, John Quentin Feller, a University of Scranton professor and expert in Chinese porcelain was one of the most accomplished and compulsive art thieves in American history. Feller admitted walking off with more than 100 items from eight different museums. Interestingly, he donated many of his stolen goodies back to other cultural institutions, earning himself something of a reputation as an art world Robin Hood. He managed to carry on for almost 20 years before being caught and sent to prison in 1991.

Paperback: 45 pages
Publisher: Peabody Essex Museum (August 1982)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 087577069X
ISBN-13: 978-0875770697
Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.3 x 0.2 inches
Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces

The Ca Mau Shipwreck 1723-1735 by Dinh Chién

Published

by

Jan-Erik Nilsson

on March 30, 2008

in the Chinese Export Porcelain and Ship Wreck Cargoes category

. 1 Comment

This is a very interesting book considering the time this ship appears to have sunk. Quite a lot of the cargo consists of pieces that in the antiques trade usually has been given the label Kangxi. Since quite a number of the pieces actually carries the Yongzheng (1723-1735) reign mark, that theory obviously needs to go. This is a really good reference book for this expansive perion in the history of Chinese Export porcelain findin ite palace right between the Vung Tau (c. 1700) and the Gotheborg (1745).

The book is of 258 pages (96 pages of text, 386 photographs, and 21 pages of ceramics designs) and many line drawings. The book was based on the report complied by the Excavations Committee together with data and records relating to the artifacts collected by the two provincial museums of Binh Thuan and Ca Mau, from 1998-2000.

The contents includes the archaeological excavations of Ca Mau shipwreck, the artifacts recovered from the shipwreck site and maps.

Author: Dinh Chién, Nguyén,
Museum of Vietnamese History and Ca Mau Provincial Museum (2003),
Language: Vietnamese and English,

China to Order: Focusing on the XIXth Century and Surveying Polychrome Export Porcelain Produced During the Qing Dynasty, 1644-1908 by Daniel Nadler

Published

by

Jan-Erik Nilsson

on March 29, 2008

in the Chinese Export Porcelain category

. 2 Comments

China to Order: Focusing on the XIXth Century and Surveying Polychrome Export Porcelain Produced During the Qing Dynasty, 1644-1908

This book focuses despite the impression one might get from the cover picture, on the 19th century export porcelains. I need to say I have not read this book myself but list it through recommendations. You are welcome to add your comments and star ranks to the entry.

JE

Lost at Sea: The Strange Route of the Lena Shoal Junk by Franck Goddio et al.

Published

by

Jan-Erik Nilsson

on March 29, 2008

in the Maritime Archaeology category

. 0 Comments

Lost at Sea: The Strange Route of the Lena Shoal Junk, by Franck Goddio, Monique Crick, Peter Lam, Stacey Pierson and Rosemary Scott

Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: Periplus Publishing London (December 2002)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1902699351
ISBN-13: 978-1902699356
Product Dimensions: 13.8 x 9.5 x 1 inches
Shipping Weight: 4.4 pounds

Qingbai Ware: Chinese Porcelain of the Song and Yuan Dynasties, by Rosemary Scott et al. (Ed. Stacey Pierson)

Published

by

Jan-Erik Nilsson

on March 29, 2008

in the Song Dynasty category

. 0 Comments

Qingbai Ware : Chinese Porcelain of the Song and Yuan Dynasties

From the preface: “Qingbai ware, or Yingqing ware as it is commonly known, is perhaps one of the most under appreciated ceramics in the Chinese ceramic tradition. It is not one of the wu wei ci, or five classic wares of the Song dynasty. It was not made exclusively for imperial use and its decorative styles and techniques were largely borrowed from other wares such as Ding and Yaozhou wares. With the exception of Jingdezhen, where it was primarily made, it also has not drawn much interest from archaeologists. This is unfortunate because, as we will see, qingbai ware is in fact one of the most successful ceramic types produced in China and was emulated at numerous kilns in many different regions. Very high quality qingbai wares were produced in the Song period which are today some of the finest early porcelains produced in China. Qingbai was also the basis from which Jingdezhen blue and white porcelain was developed and as recent research shows, this ware was noted in ancient records and was buried in hoards and tombs of the Song and Yuan dynasties. In fact, it was considered valuable enough when it was first made that several qingbai wares can be found in the original holdings of the National Palace Museum in Taipei.

The history of this ware is fairly straightforward but has not been presented in monograph form in English before. In order to show the complete picture of qingbai production, the history of its manufacture needs to be reconstructed and its forms, decoration and patronage need also to be illustrated. This volume will present these issues along with over 100 colour illustrations of some of the best and most interesting qingbai wares in collections around the world, many of which have not been published before.

Essays have been contributed from both doctoral students of Chinese ceramics as well as established specialists in the field. Summaries of these essays as well as the catalogue entries have also been provided in Chinese. For reasons of space, this catalogue concentrates on Qingbai ware for the Chinese domestic market and on examples made at Jingdezhen. It is hoped that this catalogue will inspire further research on export wares and the products of other kilns.”

Hardcover with slipcase, 9″ X 12″, 255 pages
130 catalogue entries with complete descriptions, photos of makers marks and full page color photographs

Author: Rosemary Scott, Amy Barnes, Estelle Nikles, Catherine Teo, Edited by Stacey Pierson
Publisher: Percival David Foundation of Chinese Art (2002)
ISBN-10: 072860339X
ISBN-13: 978-0728603394
Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds

Sung Ceramic Designs by Jan Wirgin

Published

by

Jan-Erik Nilsson

on March 28, 2008

in the Song Dynasty category

. 0 Comments

Sung Ceramic Designs

This is one of my personal favorites and as I see it an indispensable companion for any collector of Song dynasty ceramics. The main reason is one that maybe was not that much of an issue at the time back in the late 1970s when Jan Wirgin was working with this, his doctoral thesis, namely the effort that went into selecting the items that were to be discussed.

Even today more than 30 years later nobody have seriously questioned the authenticity of any of the pieces that went into this book and I find it very refreshing to look through it. It has been reprinted in a second edition but the pictures, all black and white, did not come out as good in the later edition as in the first. This is not a very expensive book so try to find the first edition but if not, also the later are ok.

T’ang Pottery and Porcelain by Margaret Medley

Published

by

Jan-Erik Nilsson

on March 28, 2008

in the Early Pottery category

. 0 Comments

T’ang Pottery and Porcelain (The Faber Monographs on Pottery & Porcelain)

The work includes all kinds of Tang potteries, not only the better known Tang horses in three-colored glaze, but also lead-glazed and unglazed earthenware, as well as high-fired wares of the Tang dynasty (618-907).

Hardcover: 151 pages
Publisher: Faber & Faber (September 1981)
The Faber Monographs on Pottery & Porcelain
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0571109578
ISBN-13: 978-0571109579

Zhangzhou Ware Found in the Philippines: Swatow Export Ceramics from Fujian 16th-17th Century by Rita C. Tan

Published

by

Jan-Erik Nilsson

on March 28, 2008

in the Ming Porcelain category

. 0 Comments

This account of the 16th and 17th century ceramics of Zhangzhou (formerly often called “Swatow china”) is published in connection with the 2007 Yuchengco Museum/Oriental Ceramic Society of the Philippines exhibition. Accounts of the production methods export and trade patterns, archaeological sites and shipwrecked stock complement the 180 annotated color plates of artefacts displayed in the exhibition. With sketch maps, graphics, and index.

Format: Hardcover, 191 pages
Published: 2007, Philippines, 1st Edition
ISBN: 9789719317006

Bat Trang Ceramics 14th-19th Centuries by Phan Huy Le et al.

Published

by

Jan-Erik Nilsson

on March 28, 2008

in the Vietnam category

. 0 Comments

Bat Trang, a village not far from Hanoi, has been producing ceramic wares since at least the 14th century. This account of the industry up to the 19th century and the methods and glazes used in producing domestic, decorative and ritual artefacts includes 260 plates in color or black and white, and line drawings of patterns and designs. Bilingual in English and Vietnamese.

Format: Hardcover, 209 pages
Published: 1995, Vietnam, 1st Edition

The Choice of the Private Trader: the Private Market in Chinese Export Porcelain. Illustrated from the Hodroff Collection by David S. Howard

Published

by

Jan-Erik Nilsson

on March 28, 2008

in the Chinese Ceramics category

. 0 Comments

The Choice of the Private Trader: The Private Market in Chinese Export Porcelain Illustrated in the Hodroff Collection

The Private Trade in Chinese Export porcelain, as distinct from East India Company trade, has hitherto scarcely been recoginised as a subject in its own right. And yet the officers and supercargoes of the Hon. East India Company took full advantage of their license to trade on their own account; it is just this attractive and innovative ware, chosen by them at their own capital risk, that is most collected today. David S. Howard surveys more than two centuries of manufacture, and throws new light on how the trade was actually conducted. The Hodroff collection, the largest and most comprehensive of its kind in the world, closely mirrors the tastes of the private traders and is the ideal source of illustration for this pioneering work

Hardcover: 298 pages
Publisher: London: Zwemmer (September 1994)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0302006427
ISBN-13: 978-0302006429
Product Dimensions: 11.8 x 9 x 1 inches
Shipping Weight: 3.4 pounds

The Ceramics of South-East Asia, Their Dating and Identification by Roxanna M. Brown

Published

by

Jan-Erik Nilsson

on March 28, 2008

in the Thai (Siam) category

. 0 Comments

This second edition is virtually a new book, taking into account discoveries of new burial sites and wares as well as a spate of recent scholarship and articles on Southeast Asian ceramics. Beautifully illustrated, the text covers Vietnamese ceramics, the Go-Sanh Kilns, Khmer wares, the Sukhothai and Sawankhalok kilns, the Northern and other Thai kilns, and Burmese ceramics.
Extensive bibliography.

Format: Paperback, 216 pages
Published: 2000, USA, 2nd Edition
ISBN: 1878529706

Imperial Taste – Chinese Ceramics from the Percival David Foundation by Rosemary Scott et al.

Published

by

Jan-Erik Nilsson

on March 28, 2008

in the Chinese Ceramics, Imperial Chinese Porcelain and Monochromes category

. 0 Comments

Imperial Taste – Chinese Ceramics from the Percival David Foundation

This is the catalogue to an exhibition organized by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art with pieces from the Percival David Foundation in London.

Smitten by the riches of the Imperial Collection, connoisseur Sir Percival David (1892-1964) braved the “insuperable obstacles” posed by rival Chinese collectors – and the chicaneries of the Chinese bank which then owned the priceless porcelains in the collection – to purchase, in 1926, the collection, which is now quartered at the University of London.

The 56 pieces that makes up this exhinbition date from the 9th to the 18th centuries. Formerly owned by Chinese emperors, they document fluctuating imperial taste and bear witness to an enduring high standard, from Jun ware from the 12th and 13th centuries – smudged generously with mottled plum and purple glazes – to the delicate naturalism of 18th-century Jingdezhen tea sets, painted with lotus blossoms.

Rounding out the many color photographs and catalogue essay by curator Rosemary Scott are other pieces by Rosemary Scott and scholars George Kuwayama, Roderick Whitfield, Wu Tung and Denise Patry Leidy discussing archeological research, the origins of ceramic painting styles, the role played by such porcelains in Chinese painting itself and the influence of East-West trade on the art.

Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Paperback: 136 pages
Publisher: Chronicle Books (July 1, 1989)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0877016127
ISBN-13: 978-0877016120

Hirado: Prince of Porcelains by Louis Lawrence

Published

by

Jan-Erik Nilsson

on March 28, 2008

in the Japanese Porcelain category

. 1 Comment

Hirado : Prince of Porcelains (Encyclopedia of Japanese Art Series) (Encyclopedia of Japanese Art Series)

Hirado: Prince of Porcelains is part of the Enclyclopedia of Japanese Art Series. It provides a comprehensive look at one of Japan’s greatest porcelain factories, which enjoyed enduring princely patronage from the Matsura family, Lords of Hirado Island. The book displays Hirado ware with its subtlety, charm and magnificence in broadly chronological order, summarises documentation on these wares, and underpins these with information about Western collectors, as well as all known Hirado artists’ signatures.

The first book in the Encyclopedia of Japanese Art series is devoted to Hirado porcelain and is the only work devoted exclusively to the subject in English. This much needed volume traces the origins of one of Japan’s great porcelain manufacturers from its first years in the 17th century to its closure early in the 20th century.

Illustrated with 101 colour and black and white photos, almost all of which are published for the first time, it displays the extraordinary range of Hirado wares originally made exclusively for the wealthy Matsura family. It conclusively demonstrates that Hirado was an important kiln in the history of Japanese ceramics and its widely varied wares rank among the finest made.

Within the appendices of this book is a unique and comprehensive section devoted to over 90 marks found on Hirado wares. The eccentric charm and superlative quality of this rare porcelain is admirably displayed in this book by scholar and dealer, Louis Lawrence with an introduction by the renowned collector David Hyatt King.

Paperback: 176 pages
Publisher: Art Media Resources Ltd; 1 edition (1997)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1878529307
ISBN-13: 978-1878529305
Product Dimensions: 10.4 x 8.2 x 0.8 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
ISBN: 1878529307

The E.T. Hall Collection of Chinese Monochrome Porcelains 6/7/04, Christie’s London

Published

by

Jan-Erik Nilsson

on March 28, 2008

in the Chinese Ceramics, Imperial Chinese Porcelain and Monochromes category

. 0 Comments

2004 Christie’s London The E.T. Hall Collection of Chinese Monochrome Porcelains 6/7/04. This post auction catalog consists of 251 pages with 286 lots mostly illustrated in color and all described in detail. This was the sale that finally put monochromes on the map! Some really terrific pieces.

The Baur Collection, Geneva: Chinese Ceramics Volume Three (III) – Monochrome-Glazed Porcelains of Ch’ing Dynasty by John Ayers

Published

by

Jan-Erik Nilsson

on March 28, 2008

in the Imperial Chinese Porcelain and Monochromes category

. 0 Comments

THE BAUR COLLECTION, GENEVA: CHINESE CERAMICS VOLUME THREE (III) – MONOCHROME-GLAZED PORCELAINS OF THE CH’ING DYNASTY

The Baur Collection, Geneva: Chinese Ceramics Volume Three (III) – Monochrome-Glazed Porcelains of Ch’ing Dynasty, by John Ayers

Chinese Ceramics: Selected Articles from Orientations, 1982-2003

Published

by

Jan-Erik Nilsson

on March 28, 2008

in the Chinese Ceramics, Imperial Chinese Porcelain, Ming Porcelain and Song Dynasty category

. 0 Comments

This substantial compilation of illustrated articles from ‘Orientations’ makes available new perspectives and the results of specialist research on many aspects of the history, design and production of Chinese ceramics.

This book just ought to be one of the best buys ever when it comes to substance. One slight drawback is that the book as such is compiled from a series of interesting articles.

Even if they so to speak covers the history of Chinese Ceramics, as a book, it lacks focus. But besides that, as a night table book, or the perfect reference look-up book if you are lucky enough to hit home on one of the topics covered. Very good.

Nobody hesitates about that this book is worth buying. Actually you should have subscribed to Orientation during 1982-2003 in the first place but if you didn’t; here’s a very good selection of the best of the best.

Format: Paperback, 430 pages
Published: 2004, Hong Kong, 2nd Edition
ISBN: 9627951325

Blanc De Chine: Porcelain from Dehua by Rose Kerr & John Ayers

Published

by

Jan-Erik Nilsson

on March 28, 2008

in the Blanc de Chine / Dehua category

. 0 Comments

Of all new books on Blanc de Chinese this is my favorite. Its very complete and it is very well thought out. The Frank and Pamela Hickley major collection of blanc de Chine, the white porcelain traditionally produced in Dehua, Fujian Province, South China, was given to the Asian Civilizations Museum, Singapore in 2000.

Dehua porcelain, or Blanc de Chine as it is known in the West, is pure ivory-white porcelain made at the Dehua kilns in the southern Chinese province of Fujian. It rose to international significance in the 17th century and inspired aristocratic patronage in the development of European porcelain. Its popularity at home and abroad continued and the kilns at Dehua remain prolific to this day. This is the first comprehensive publication since P. J. Donnelly’s pioneering study thirty years ago. An international group of specialists discuss how, why and when the Dehua porcelain phenomenon occurred. The book is also a catalog of the important Hickley Collection in Singapore. Each piece is illustrated in beautiful full color photography.

Four essays on the Dehua production and styles and on the world’s major collections together with an interview with Mrs Pamela Hickley introduce the catalog. 134 pieces from the Collection are illustrated in color and annotated as to style and historical significance. The beauty and great diversity of blanc de Chine is impressively conveyed. Bibliography included.

This one and Donnelly and maybe two more books on Blanc de Chine and you should be pretty well covered regarding figures. If we go on and want to cover Dehua and even worse, Fujian wares, then there will be more books needed of course.

132 pages
Publisher: RoutledgeCurzon; 1 edition (December 30, 2002)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0700717137
ISBN-13: 978-0700717132
Product Dimensions: 11.5 x 9.1 x 0.8 inches
Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds

The Stonewares of Yixing: From the Ming Period to the Present Day by K. S. Lo

Published

by

Jan-Erik Nilsson

on March 28, 2008

in the Tea Wares and Yixing category

. 0 Comments

The Stonewares of Yixing: From the Ming Period to the Present Day

Color and B&W photos (wares and seals), line drawings (teapots), bibliography, index of potters, general index. Twenty years after its publication, this book remains the single most important English language reference on Yixing.

Kwee Seong Lo’s scholarly approach and chronological progression of the text enable readers of English, for the first time, to understand many of the nuances and traditions of Yixing ware, with no aspect overlooked. An absolute imperative addition to any Yixing library.

Hardcover: 287 pages
Publisher: Sotheby Parke Bernet Pubns (December 1986)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0856671819
ISBN-13: 978-0856671814
Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 8.2 x 1.2 inches
Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds

The Art of the Yixing Potter; the K.S. Lo collection by Anita Wong and Rose Lee (Ed;s)

Published

by

Jan-Erik Nilsson

on March 28, 2008

in the Chinese Ceramics, Tea Wares and Yixing category

. 0 Comments

Exhibition catalog. The Art of the Yixing Potter: the K.S. Lo Collection, Flagstaff House Museum of Tea Ware.
Hong Kong: The Urban Council, 1990.

With text in English and Chinese, this exhibition catalog describes Yixing stoneware, its history, some Yixing collections, and the collecting of such ware in the West. This work looks at tea drinking in China and offers a concise history of Yixing Ware, the collection of Yixing Ware in the Shanghai Museum, as well as Yixing and the West. Complimented by profuse photographic illustrations showing good examples of the pottery.

Colour and black and white photographic illustrations,
250 pages, 317 illustrations (247 in color) and 194 color reference illustrations. index, appendix:
Three Techniques of Making Yixing Teapots, dustjacket protected, quarto.
Text in English and Chinese.

Published by Urban Council, Hong Kong.
250 pp. 31 x 25 cm.
Hardcover.
Unfortunately, this book is currently out of print.

A Chorus of Colors, Chinese Glass from Three American Collections

Published

by

Jan-Erik Nilsson

on March 27, 2008

in the Glass category

. 0 Comments

A Chorus of Colors: Chinese Glass from Three American Collections

The Asian Art Museum of San Francisco organised this exhibit in 1995 to highlight the pioneering efforts of three important collectors of Chinese glass. This book contributes significantly to the literature on glass by illustrating the entire history and development of glass with works previously unavailable to the public. Each page is illustrated with a specimen and includes remarks as to the process for making it and specific traits of the piece.

A Chorus of Colors: Chinese Glass from Three American Collections, edited by Michael Morrison, catalogue entries by Claudia Brown. San Francisco: Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, 1995.

Catalog of an exhibition at the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco of three private collections, providing color illustrations of objects dating from the Han to the Qing period.

Format: Paperback, 127 pages
Published: 1995, USA
ISBN: 0295975113

Porcelain from the Vung Tau Wreck: The Hallström Excavation by Christiaan J. A. Jörg, & Michael Flecker

Published

by

Jan-Erik Nilsson

on March 27, 2008

in the Chinese Export Porcelain, Maritime Archaeology and Ship Wreck Cargoes category

. 0 Comments

Porcelain from the Vung Tau Wreck: The Hallstrom Excavation

In the 1690s, a Chinese junk bound for Batavia and laden with ceramics for export to Europe, caught fire and foundered off Vung Tau, Vietnam. In the 1990s – and with the sanction of the Vietnamese government — a Vietnamese/Swedish team explored the wreck. A vast amount of mainly blue-and-white porcelain was found, and much of it was finally auctioned in Amsterdam, the cargo’s original destination. This illustrated expert study describes the 17th century export trade of China-Batavia-Holland and details the artefacts found. In part 2 the ship itself is presented and the methods and course of the excavation are set out. With drawings and photographs, biblography and index.

This book is divided into two sections: the art historical study of the ceramic hoard and it place in the history of European trade with Asia and China and the excavation process. It also presents data and commentary on the systematic underwater fieldwork, documentation and the raising of the cargo.

Format: Hardcover, 172 pages
Published: 2001, Singapore
ISBN: 981045208X

Hare’s Fur, Tortoiseshell, and Partridge Feather: Chinese Brown- and Black-glazed Ceramics, 400-1400 by Robert D. Mowry

Published

by

Jan-Erik Nilsson

on March 27, 2008

in the Song Dynasty category

. 1 Comment

Hare’s Fur, Tortoiseshell, and Partridge Feathers: Chinese Brown and Black Glazed Ceramics, 400-1400

This volume is the catalog of the first exhibition to feature this type of ware which was first made in the Han (206 B.C.-220 A.D.), reached the golden age during the Song, Jin, and Yuan periods (10th-13th centuries). The title of the book derives from the names of markings on these wares. In the West, it is called temmoku. The catalogue is of the 1996 exhibition of Chinese Brown- and Black-glazed Ceramics 400-1400 CE, but the essays, photographs and notes on the 112 artifacts exhibited will be of lasting interest. There is specialist essays on glazed ceramics, on the Jian teaware imported into Japan, and on technical considerations in ceramic creation. With illustrated descriptions and provenance notes on the 112 artifacts exhibited. With map, chronology and bibliography. Highly recommended.

Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Art Museums, 1996.
Format: Paperback, 280 pages
Published: 1997, USA, 1st Edition
ISBN: 0916724883

For the Imperial Court: Qing Porcelain from the Percival David Foundation of Chinese Art by Rosemary E. Scott

Published

by

Jan-Erik Nilsson

on March 27, 2008

in the Chinese Ceramics and Imperial Chinese Porcelain category

. 0 Comments

For the Imperial Court: Qing Porcelain from the Percival David Foundation of Chinese Art

This book was published in conjunction with an exhibition of the same name. Most of the objects featured in this exhibition are are pre-eighteenth century. This collection also features many objects produced in the “guyue xuan” style, the only other notable collection of which is found in the National Museum of Taipei. The collection from which the exhibition is drawn and the quality of the text, makes this modest book a “classic” or “must have”.

Format: Hardcover, 160 pages
Published: 1997, USA, 1st Edition
ISBN: 9813066016

CLASSIC – Chinese Imperial Porcelain

Bright as Silver, White as Snow: Chinese White Ceramics from Late Tang to Yuan Dynasty by Lo Kai-Yin (Ed.)

Published

by

Jan-Erik Nilsson

on March 27, 2008

in the Early Pottery and Song Dynasty category

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Bright as Silver, White as Snow

This book accompanied the exhibition of the Kai-Yin Lo Collection of Chinese ceramics at the Denver Art Museum from October 1, 1998 – September 30, 1999, featuring white and Qingbai wares from the Tang to the Yuan dynasty.

The catalog includes essays on such topics as life in the Song dynasty, white wares of north and south China, the development of white and Qingbai wares, material culture in the northern Song, and pictorial perspectives on Hangzhou during the Song accompany the detailed color photographs and descriptions of the pieces in this collection.

As usual with catalog’s they offer fairly good value for money. There is a lot to read since the first 80 pages are essays by eminent scholars like Regina Krahl, Li Zhiyan, Roderick Whitfield and Sören Edgren. The plate section that begins at page 85 is particularly strong with regards to Qingbai while the presentation of earlier wares doesn’t really cuts it. The strength is the essays and the presentation of Song dynasty Qingbai where illustrations of the bases are included. I would give this book an overall four stars for the essays and Qingbai presentation. When it comes to how necessary it is to have this book, I think it comes somewhere in the middle of the field.

Maps, a chronology and bibliography included.
Format: Paperback, 208 pages
Published: 1998, Hong Kong, 1st Edition
ISBN: 9789627502395

Authors: Regina Krahl, Li Zhiyan, Roderick Whitfield and Sören Edgren.
Publisher: Art Media Resources
Format: Paperback, 208 pages

Five Thousand Years of Chinese Ceramics: From the Robin and R. Randolph Richmond, Jr. Collection by Lisa Rotondo-McCord

Published

by

Jan-Erik Nilsson

on March 27, 2008

in the Early Pottery category

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Five Thousand Years of Chinese Ceramics: From the Robin And R. Randolph Richmond, Jr. Collection

This catalog of ceramic artifacts created in China over the last 5000 years was published to complement the donation to the New Orleans Art Museum in 2000 of the notable Richmond Collection. A chronology and illustrated introductory essay on the history and development of Chinese ceramics is followed by 100 full-page color photographs of selected ceramic objects of many kinds. Full descriptions and provenance details are appended. With bibliography and sketch map.

This volume illustrates one hundred works from a significant and wide-ranging collection of Chinese ceramics, including works of the Chinese potters’ art from the Neolithic through the Yuan dynasties (approximately 4000 BC through the 14th century), with works from the major traditions and kilns. It showcases the extraordinary achievements of Chinese potters in both earthenware and stoneware, and in ceramics made for use in this world as well as the afterlife.
One of the earliest works included is a product of the late phase of the Dawenkou culture (c. 2800-2400 BC), one of China’s several, co-existing Neolithic cultures characterized by distinctive pottery. Examples of funerary art from the Han and Tang dynasties are included, and finally Song wares that embody a literati aesthetic.

Format: Paperback, 144 pages
Published: 2005, USA, 1st Edition
ISBN: 0894940945

Dehua Wares. The Fung Ping Shan Museum

Published

by

Jan-Erik Nilsson

on March 27, 2008

in the Blanc de Chine / Dehua category

. 0 Comments

This book was published in 1990 by the University or Hong Kong in cooperation with the mainland Fujian Provincial Museum and is based on the latest archaeological data there is. The book is very up to date, inexpensive, and a good buy even if the number of illustration are comparably few and the dates put to the different pieces are mostly limited to suggest which dynasty. This is probably a “better buy” than Donelly since it is more up to date and more recent, still it is “light years” behind, in over-all scope.

Blanc de Chine by P. J Donelly

Published

by

Jan-Erik Nilsson

on March 27, 2008

in the Blanc de Chine / Dehua category

. 0 Comments

Blanc De Chine (Monographs on Pottery & Porcelain)

This is the classic book on the white porcelain from the Dehua kilns in Fujian province. This books draws mainly on old well known western collections. The content has been challenged and improved upon in many later books. Still this is the pioneering work and personally I like to combine this classic book with more recent publications and excavation reports.

Hardcover: 422 pages
Publisher: Faber and Faber (July 1969)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0571080782
ISBN-13: 978-0571080786

CLASSIC – the book everybody are complaining about but all are referring too …