Customer Reviews

Possessing the Past: Treasures from the National Palace Museum, Taipei

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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

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.