An Exhibition of Asian Antiquities
and Vintage Photography
MAY 1 - JUNE 28, 2003
Throckmorton Fine Art is pleased to present our exhibition, "The Scholar's Eye". The exhibition will include fine works of stone, ceramic, and jade held in high regard by traditional Chinese scholars or "literati" as objects of enlightenment. Also included in the exhibition are some of the earliest photographic images taken in China in the mid-nineteenth century by various photographers of the period.
For thousands of years Chinese scholars were primarily men, greatly esteemed by society, who were also collectors of high quality, highly sophisticated art objects, some functional, some inspirational, most small enough to decorate a scholar's desk or complement his study.
The traditional Chinese scholar spent years studying the ancient classics and philosophical treaties while steeping himself in the moral principles of Confucianism in hopes of passing the Civil Service Examination. Passing this examination allowed him to enter governmental service, the key to entrance into a life of privilege, social status, politics, and aesthetics. Within his studio, his room for study and contemplation, he surrounded himself with "treasures". More than mere art curios, these treasures embodied the shared wisdom, tradition, and values of the Chinese literati who governed China for more than two millennia.
The theme of nature is everywhere in Chinese art, as aspects of nature permeate the life of the Chinese in philosophy, religion, art, architecture, medicine, and basic human existence. The relationship between nature and man and between objects and scholars are not simply utilitarian but suggest a spiritual self-identification, a seeking of 'oneness' with the force that moves the universe.
Highlights of the exhibition will include some exceptional examples of finely carved jades representing animals as well as human figures, real and mythical, rich in symbolic meaning, dating from teh Neolithic through Han Periods. Equally as exciting are several stunning Han, Song, and Tang ceramics and some exceptional Gong-shi (Scholar's Rocks).
