Pictures and Visuality in Early Modern China [Hardcover]

Craig Clunas (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 19, 1998

The sixteenth century in China was a period of rapid and unprecedented economic expansion. The period also saw a parallel expansion in the sphere of cultural production, as a growing class of consumers of luxury goods benefited from the formation of one of the classic early modern consumer societie

Editorial Reviews

Review

'He argues his interpretations of Chinese art with a great sense of adventure, and it reads tremendously well. Clunas is a master of argument. He presents his texts around carefully considered selections of material culture, which are not simply mustered to illustrate one art-historical point after another, but skilfully used for their value in making several claims throughout a larger discourse.' - Times Higher Educational Supplement 'Reveals the tantalizing array of images to be considered in pursuit of a full understanding of Chinese pictorial culture. It is hoped that this study will stimulate similar studies for other periods, creating a wider and fuller understanding of the ways in which images were deployed and understood in China. We still have a long way to go to escape the limitations of the traditional accounts that are the focus of Professor Clunas's criticism.' - Apollo --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Craig Clunas is Senior Lecturer in the History of Art at the University of Sussex. He has published extensively on the culture of the Ming period. His books include Fruitful Sites: Garden Culture in Ming Dynasty China; Art in China; and Superfluous Things: Material Culture and Social Status in Early Modern China.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 248 pages
• Publisher: Princeton University Press (January 19, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0691057613
• ISBN-13: 978-0691057613
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,143,870 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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