Arts of China (Decorative Arts of Later Imperial China, 1000-1900)

This introduction to the material environment of China’s political and intellectual elite during the last four imperial dynasties (Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing) surveys the history of ceramics, metalwork, jade, silk, furniture, and lacquerwork. The discussion of representative artifacts touches on a wide range of issues, including collecting and ideas of self-cultivation, taste, and decorum; imperial and aristocratic consumption; the iconography and social function of pictorial ornament; art production within an increasingly commercial environment; and international trade and the resulting cultural exchange. Some classes are held in museums or galleries. 3 credits. Satisfies the non-Western or pre-1800 requirement.