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Possessing the Past: Treasures from the National Palace Museum, Taipei Hardcover – January 1, 1996

4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 13 ratings
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Introduces Chinese dynastic history, and examines the Museum and its collection
Previous page
  1. Print length
    648 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Harry N Abrams Inc
  4. Publication date
    January 1, 1996
  5. Dimensions
    9.5 x 1.75 x 13 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0810964945
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0810964945
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

More than an exhibition catalogue, this breathtakingly beautiful volume, a major work of scholarship, offers a panoramic history of Chinese art and culture. Its 436 color plates and 190 halftones reproduce hundreds of masterpieces from the Chinese Palace Museum in Taiwan?artworks that originally constituted the personal collection of 18th-century Emperor Ch'ien-lung, and were transported out of communist China to Taipei after WWII. Among the treasures are eighth-century calligraphic brush masterpieces, monumental landscape hanging scrolls of the Northern Sung (10th-11th centuries), elegant porcelain, naturalistic flower, bird and animal paintings, and life-size, robust imperial portraits. Essays by Chinese and Western art historians sweep from the Neolithic Age's magical and religious uses of jade (third millennium B.C.) to Bronze Age rituals, the paradoxical rejuvenation of art under the Mongol conquest, Buddhist and Taoist influences, Ming scholar-artists' revolt against orthodoxy and 17th-century Ch'ing emperors' use of the arts as tools for glorification of the state. The exhibition opened at New York's Metropolitan Museum and will tour nationally. Fong and Watt are curators at the Met.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

To those fortunate enough to see an exhibition, a catalog can serve as a guide or souvenir. But to those at some remove in time or distance, the catalog often represents their only contact with the exhibit and must stand as a marker of the scholarship invested in it and a visual testament of the objects displayed. To deal with these differing and conflicting roles, the exhibition of imperial treasures from China currently touring this country has two catalogs of differing length and scope. After introducing each historical period, Splendors of Imperial China highlights 107 of the 475 artworks in the exhibition and gives a short analysis of the works. Smaller ceramic and bronze pieces are shown in full, as are some painted works, but many large scrolls are shown only in detail. These details lose the larger perspective vital to understanding such wall-spanning scrolls as Huai-su's "Autobiographical Essay," a purely calligraphic portrait that progresses from small, tight characters to marvelous looping, flying ones as the painter drinks more and more wine. Possessing the Past is the inclusive scholarly text illustrating all 475 artworks. Clearly intended to have lasting value and to present in-depth information on thousands of years of Chinese art history, it lacks some of the graphic verve of Splendors. Both volumes are slightly marred by some poorly reproduced images. Splendors of Imperial China will suit general readers seeking a visual introduction to classical Chinese art, while Possessing the Past will anchor academic art history collections.?David McClelland, formerly with Temple Univ., Philadelphia
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Harry N Abrams Inc; First Edition (January 1, 1996)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 648 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0810964945
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0810964945
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 7.9 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 9.5 x 1.75 x 13 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 13 ratings

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  1. Fong

    Fong

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  2. Watt

    Watt

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Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
13 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Walter G. Harper
5.0 out of 5 stars Nice book in very good condition;
Reviewed in the United States on February 8, 2022
Verified Purchase
Comprehensive book on a world famous collection of Chinese art.
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funner things
4.0 out of 5 stars Taipai Palace Museum
Reviewed in the United States on December 4, 2012
Verified Purchase
Lots of wonderful things I need to see. Thanks for the opportunity to see Chinese art from the perspective of Taipei.
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Antaeuscass
5.0 out of 5 stars All you want to see in Chinese Art
Reviewed in the United States on November 3, 2006
Verified Purchase
The National Museum of Art in Taipei is the repository of the finest Chinese art in the world. Taken out of China by the Nationalists, the art was fortunate to be out of the hands of the Red Guard during the Cultural Revolution, when most of the important art on the maniland was destroyed or defaced.

For people wanting to see the great forms of Chinese art, this book is almost as good as going to Taiwan.

No wonder the chinese want the island back - olny for the art.
5 people found this helpful
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Lovelearn
3.0 out of 5 stars photos are way too dark
Reviewed in the United States on July 31, 2019
Verified Purchase
I am a bit disappointed with this book. The photos are very dark in the book. I am purchasing it for the pictures instead of the texts. I wish the museum come up with a new version of the items with more bright pictures. I will not recommend buying this book.
2 people found this helpful
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Russ Reising
5.0 out of 5 stars Reliable seller.
Reviewed in the United States on August 16, 2016
Verified Purchase
Book exactly as described.
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Tzu-Hsien Sang tzuhsien@engin.umich.edu
5.0 out of 5 stars A collection of excellent articles
Reviewed in the United States on August 21, 1997
This book was published not only as a catalogue for the great exhibition "Splendors of Imperial China", also as a collection of excellent articles by leading scholars in the field of Chinese art and cultural history. Some of the most precious items selected for the exhibition eventually were not able to make it to the United States, nontheless they are included in the book(now you get a chance to see them on the paper.) The authors cleverly extended a study of visual artifacts to a colorful (though not complete) portraiture of the cultural evolution in China. This task is not easy, considering the fact that the imperial collection on which the National Palace Museum is based on was, for a large part, a reflection of the personal taste of the Ch'ien-lung emperor. For example, you will not find any significant piece of sculpture or wood-block prints in this book. On the other hand, the selection of paintings and ceramics (especially the Ju wares) are just superb. The only problem is its size, which prevents you bringing it around to show off the beatiful pictures in it. Still, it is a must-have reference for any serious readers who want to know more about Chinese visual culture
27 people found this helpful
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