2016 - 2017
US
Nearly 150 artworks from Taiwan’s National Palace Museum went on view at the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco to celebrate the museum’s 50th anniversary. Many of the imperial pieces made their debut in the United States at the exhibition, with 30 items considered extremely rare.
Emperors’ Treasures: Chinese Art from the National Palace Museum, Taipei highlighted virtuoso artistry from the Song dynasty in the early 12th century, an important era in the development of sophisticated culture in China, to the Qing dynasty in the early 20th century. It explored the identities of nine key rulers during that time span and how the tastes of these eight emperors and one empress shaped the imperial collection.
Among the rarities were two signature works from the National Palace Museum, Taipei: one of the world’s two blue-and-white flat vases depicting West Asian figures and illustrating Ming dynasty porcelain craftsmanship and cultural exchanges between China and the world in the early 15th century; and court artist Giuseppe Castiglione’s painting, White Falcon, commissioned by Qing Emperor Qianlong.
