Screen of kings
Subtitle: royal art and power in Ming China
By: Craig Clunas
Publisher: University of Hawaiʻi Press
Published: 2013
Language: eng
Number of pages: 248
ISBN-13: 9780824838522
Subjects: Chinese Art; History; Aristocracy (Social class); Art patronage
Description: "Screen of Kings is the first book in any language to examine the cultural role of the regional aristocracy - relatives of the emperors - in Ming dynasty China (1368-1644). Through an analysis of their patronage of architecture, calligraphy, painting and other art forms, and through a study of the contents of their splendid and recently excavated tombs, this innovative study puts the aristocracy back at the heart of accounts of China's culture, from which they have been excluded until very recently. Screen of Kings challenges much of the received wisdom about Ming China. Craig Clunas sheds new light on many familiar artworks, as well as works that have never before been reproduced. New archaeological discoveries have furnished the author with evidence of the lavish and spectacular lifestyles of these provincial princes and demonstrate how central the imperial family was to the high culture of the Ming era." -- Publisher's website.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (pages 227-238) and index.
Table of contents: title: "A fence and a screen"; title: The kingly landscape; title: The writing of the king of Jin; title: The painting of the king of Zhou; title: The jewels of the king of Liang; title: The bronzes of the king of Lu; title: Remembered lanterns.