On the Silk Road and the High Seas: Chinese Ceramics, Culture and Commerce examines why Chinese ceramics were such prized commodities, both at home and abroad. Examples of proto-porcelain appeared in China about 3,000 years ago and hard-paste porcelain began to be made around 1,800 years ago. This precious product was sometimes called “white gold,” especially in the West. Foreign trade and changing domestic markets played a role in stimulating Chinese potters to continually reinvent their repertoire of shapes and decorative techniques. These exchanges also illuminate important episodes in cultural history.
The earliest era of Chinese trade with lands to the west began over 2,000 years ago. Before there was a Silk Road, Chinese records refer to a Jade Road where traders from the East and West met at the oasis of Khotan in Central Asia. There the Chinese acquired the type of gemstone they valued most. From the 1st through the 14th century overland and maritime exchanges of ideas and goods between China, the Mediterranean world, Japan, and Central and Southeast Asia were never controlled by a single political power. The overland road for much of its length was a fragile chain stretched across inhospitable desert and mountain terrain. Ships sailed unpredictable seas from one small city-state to another. Many were swept off course and sank, such as two recently discovered cargos of 9th- and 14th-century Chinese ceramics.
During the 18th century a flourishing shipping business, known as the “China Trade,” developed between Western nations and the Chinese port of Canton in the upper reaches of the Pearl River Delta. Trade concentrated on tea, silk, and inexpensive porcelain. “Fancy” goods and special orders, like the armorial porcelain and large decorative pieces—particularly punch bowls—were privately traded by ships’ officers. At this time, the European porcelain industry was in its infancy and production of large pieces of porcelain was problematic there.
Throughout history, the exchange of goods and ideas was never one-sided. Novel ideas from the West fascinated the emperors of the Qing dynasty (1644–1911) inspiring the creation of imperial wares, such as the pattern known in the West as mille-fleur and in China as wanhuajin. Jesuits working in Chinese imperial workshops were a conduit for European imagery and thoughts, such as the mille-fleur design often depicted in easily transportable 18th-century European engravings. The Chinese version of the mille-fleur motif found favor as a pattern on Yongzheng imperial porcelain (1723–1735) and continues to be admired in China to this day. On such wares, flowers of the four seasons miraculously bloom at the same time. One reason for the appeal of this design is its association with a pre-existing Chinese proverb foretelling prosperity: “May one hundred flowers bloom.” Comprised of over 70 objects, On the Silk Road and the High Seas: Chinese Ceramics, Culture and Commerce explores these and other tales, revealing why Chinese ceramics were so desirable at home and abroad.
Exhibition Related Programming:
Family Studio
Children and their parents explore themes in art in the galleries, and then create their own artworks in the Reynolds Art Education Room.
• September 11: On the Road Again: Journey through the Chinese Galleries and create an ‘ancient’ travelogue describing adventures along your own Silk Road!
Fifth Annual Chinese Moon Festival
Sunday, September 12, 1:00-5:00 p.m.
The Norton Museum celebrates the Mid-Autumn Festival again this year, with music, art activities, tours, Chinese food and more. Learn more about the legends behind the Festival, see amazing performers, try mooncakes, and enjoy traditional Chinese culture during this popular event!
Art after Dark
September 16: East Meets West
(Note: special date due to Rosh Hashanah)
Expand your horizons on the Ancient Silk Road! Laurie Barnes, Elizabeth B. McGraw Curator of Chinese Art, introduces the special exhibition On the Silk Road and High Seas: Chinese Ceramics, Culture and Commerce. Try Tai Chi and see a Chinese brush painting demonstration. Take a tour to explore the connections between East and West and watch the film, Hero, based on the life of the first Chinese Emperor.
Gallery Talk
Thursday, September 16, 6:30 p.m.
Laurie Barnes, Elizabeth B. McGraw Curator of Chinese Art, introduces the special exhibition On the Silk Road and High Seas: Chinese Ceramics, Culture and Commerce.
Treasure of the Month
September 15: Jades from China’s Ancient Kingdoms
###
The Norton Museum has been recognized internationally for its travelling exhibitions and expansive collections of over 7,000 works, including European Impressionists and Modern Masters, American art from 1900 to the present, an extensive collection of works on paper and a rich body of sculpture. The Chinese collection offers superb examples of carved jades and bronze vessels and the contemporary collection embraces art from the 1960s on. Today’s most revered and history’s most innovative photographers are featured in the photography collection. Annually, the Norton Museum presents engaging and exciting collection and exhibition related talks, concerts, and programs for children and adults. The Museum Store offers an eclectic and artsy array of gifts and décor and Café 1451 at the Norton offers delicious lunch and tea menus.
The Norton Museum is open Tuesday–Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Sunday, 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. (Closed on major Holidays). General admission is $12 for adults, $5 for visitors ages 13-21, and free for Members and children under 13. Special group rates are available. West Palm Beach residents receive free admission to the Museum Collection every Saturday, with proof of residency. Palm Beach County residents receive free admission to the Museum Collection the first Saturday of each month, with proof of residency. For additional information, please call 561. 832.5196 or visit www.norton.org.
Image: Plate with implements of a Chinese money changer, Qing dynasty, Qianlong period (1736–1795), about 1750. Porcelain, famille rose overglaze enamel decoration and gilding, diam. 9 in. Gift of Leo and Doris Hodroff, 2002.86 Norton Museum of Art
