Court Art of the Tang

(Paperback)

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This text deals with Chinese art during the Tang Dynasty, from 618 to 907. It presents the artistic findings from the last ten years of archaeological excavations in China - finds that have never before been published in the West. "Court Art of the Tang" reveals the magnificence of Tang art through the presentation of ceramics, wall paintings, and utensils made of gold, silver, bronze and porcelain. The book aims to place these new materials in their artistic and historical context. It structures the new findings in chronological order, using culture and history as a background. The study treats each class of art separately and distinctly, exploring the aesthetic evolution of both secular art and religious art. Relevant literary expressions incorporated into the discussions make "Court Art of the Tang" a particularly valuable work. The book gives readers a comprehensive and diverse look at the glorious and extraordinary achievements of a ruling family. The book consists of 233 pages of text, a bibliography and an index, a glossary and 117 illustrations. "Court Art of the Tang" should provide insightful reading for art collectors and museum-goers. For travellers going to China, it will furnish an introduction to the impact that the imperial personalities of the Tang Dynasty had on artistic creation. Finally, "Court Art of the Tang" should serve as a valuable text in Asian Studies Departments and in courses on the arts of China.

Reviews

The greatest contribution of this book is to make available, for the first time in English, a selective summary of the past two decades of Chinese archaeological discoveries relating to the T'ang dynasty...Court Art of the Tang would make an excellent text for college courses on Chinese culture, art history, or medieval Chinese history...[Karetsky's] style is engaging; the book is a pleasure to read and contemplate...Nothing should stop us from delighting in the material Karetsky assembles for our inspection and from applauding the valuable contribution her book makes to Chinese studies. * Journal of Asian Studies *
The greatest contribution of this book is to make available, for the first time in English, a selective summary of the past two decades of Chinese archaeological discoveries relating to the T'ang dynasty...Court Art of the Tang would make an excellent text for college courses on Chinese culture, art history, or medieval Chinese history...[Karetsky's] style is engaging; the book is a pleasure to read and contemplate...Nothing should stop us from delighting in the material Karetsky assembles for our inspection and from applauding the valuable contribution her book makes to Chinese studies. * Journal of Asian Studies *