China: The Three Emperors 1662-1795

by Regina Krahl, Alfreda Murck, Jessica Rawson

To accompany and record this remarkable exhibition, the Royal Academy will publish a sumptuously illustrated catalogue containing full-colour reproductions and scholarly entries for all exhibits. An incisive series of essays by leading experts - among them Jessica Rawson, Warden of Merton College, Oxford; Regina Krahl, independent scholar; Freda Murck, Professor of Art History at Beijing University; and Evelyn Rawski, Professor of Chinese History at the University of Pittsburgh - will explore the many fascinating themes that link these artistic and cultural treasures, describing the complex rituals, intriguing personalities and vivid colours of the society that created them. Rich in new and unpublished material, this magnificent book will be a landmark in Chinese studies.

Genres: Art

496 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now this is how an exhibition catalogue should be. Plenty of informative essays on a range of topics, and really really good images - in regards to Chinese art especially, some catalogues seem to have a lot of problems depicting long handscrolls (I'm looking at you, Masterpieces of Chinese Painting 700-1900)... but this one has it about right, not trying to show them all as one line but breaking them up and having several lines on one or a double page (even with little red arrows showing you where to start / which direction to look along), plus really high quality enlargements of sections. And then just as I was thinking it was a shame that there aren't captions / entries for each item, there's a section in the back with entries for everything in the catalogue - which now I come to think of it, is a really great way to use space. I am eagerly awaiting the Ming: 50 Years That Changed China catalogue and I so hope it lives up to this one!

So apart from ex. cat. design fangirling, this is a good start for anyone wanting to see a range of Qing Dynasty objects, as I said the photography is beautiful and you can learn a lot.... or just flick through it going ahhhhhhh like I seem to find myself doing ;)