This stunning exhibition unveils the remarkable art and historical legacy of two mysterious kingdoms of ancient China.
Phoenix Kingdoms brings to life the distinctive Bronze Age cultures that flourished along the middle course of the Yangzi River in South Central China about 2,500 years ago. With over 150 objects on loan from five major Chinese museums, Phoenix Kingdoms explores the artistic and spiritual landscape of the southern borderland of the fabled Zhou dynasty, featuring remarkable archaeological finds unearthed from aristocratic tombs of the phoenix-worshipping Zeng and Chu kingdoms. By revealing the splendid material cultures of these legendary states, whose history has only recently been recovered, Phoenix Kingdoms highlights the importance of this region in forming a southern style that influenced centuries of Chinese art.
This exhibition catalogue includes six essays that contextualize the stylistically rich material—mythical creatures, elaborate patterns, and elegant forms—and introduces readers to the technologically and artistically sophisticated cultures that thrived before China’s first empire. Lavishly illustrated with over 240 images, Phoenix Kingdoms showcases works from the exhibition across six categories—jades, bronze ritual vessels, musical instruments and weapons, lacquerware for luxury and ceremony, funerary bronze and wood objects, and textiles and unique objects featuring distinctive designs—many of which are considered national treasures.
Published in association with the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco.
Exhibition dates:
Asian Art Museum of San Francisco August 26, 2022 – February 6, 2023
Contributions by:
I-fen Huang,
Lai Guolong,
Colin Mackenzie
Edited by:
Fan Jeremy Zhang,
Jay Xu
Imprint: California Uni Pr Trade
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions:
Height: 305mm,
Width: 229mm,
Spine: 23mm
Weight: 1.406kg
ISBN: 9780520341654
ISBN 10: 0520341651
Pages: 240
Publication Date: 22 December 2022
Audience:
Professional and scholarly
,
Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Contents Forewords Jay Xu and Fang Qin Acknowledgments Fan J. Zhang Maps Introduction Fan J. Zhang Part I Exploring Zhou’s Southern Borderland ONE Unearthing a Lost State: The Discovery of Zeng Jay Xu TWO Discovering Chu: The Legacy of the Southern Lands Fan J. Zhang THREE Art and Religion on the Ancient Jiang-Han Plain John S. Major Part II Material Culture of the Middle Yangzi River Region FOUR Jades of the Chu and Zeng States Colin Mackenzie FIVE Ritual and Musical Traditions in the States of the Jiang-Han Plain Haicheng Wang SIX Obsession with the Supernatural and Luxuries: Chu-Style Lacquerware, Textiles, and Funerary Objects Guolong Lai and I-fen Huang Part III Catalogue Jades, Agate, and Glass Bronze Ritual Vessels Musical Instruments and Weapons Lacquerwar Special Mortuary Objects Textiles, Gold, and Miscellanea Inscriptions Reigns of Zhou Kings and Zeng and Chu Lords Chronology Bibliography Index
Editor and lead curator Fan Jeremy Zhang is the Asian Art Museum Barbara and Gerson Bakar Curator of Chinese art. Trained as an archaeologist, he is the curator of numerous exhibitions and the editor/author of several catalogues including Royal Taste: The Art of Princely Courts in Fifteenth-Century China. Jay Xu, The Barbara Bass Bakar director and CEO, Asian Art Museum Chong-Moon Lee Center for Asian Art and Culture John Major, independent researcher in New York City Colin Mackenzie, curator of Chinese art, Art Institute of Chicago Haicheng Wang, associate professor of art history, Mary and Cheney Cowles Endowed Professor, University of Washington Guolong Lai, associate professor of Chinese art and archaeology, University of Florida I-fen Huang, assistant art curator, National Palace Museum, Taiwan
