Misplaced Pages

The exhibition was supported by The Consulate-General of Japan in Hong Kong.

This inter-disciplinary exhibition Ink and Wood: Modern Chinese Paintings in the Scholar's Studio not only showcased classical Chinese furniture alongside modern Chinese paintings; it also provided viewers a chance to explore the different aspects of a scholar's daily life as a whole; and gave a dual perspective on two of the most enduring Chinese artistic traditions: furniture-making; and ink painting.

These scholarly objects – both functional and inspirational, reflect the traditions and values of the literati. Curated in six main sections, the exhibition featured scholarly objects from brush pots and scroll pots to incense tools and game accessories. Ming and Qing scholars were the tastemakers of their time and their studios a reflection of their refined aesthetics; and the primary aim of the exhibition explored the different aspects of a scholar's daily life as a whole and to enable visitors, researchers and historians to visualise the lives these scholars would have led in their natural habitat, their studios or wenfang.

With materials and categories ranging from glass, ceramic, textile, painting and manuscript, this showcase of 94 carefully selected artefacts illuminated the significant role of blue in the visual and material culture of Iran. The colour personifies a timeless quality in Persian history and the impact made on the shaping of other artistic traditions in Asia and beyond.

To complement The Blue Road: Mastercrafts from Persia, a gallery was dedicated to the blue vanities from the museum's permanent collection, made of materials in the blue colour spectrum, ranging from lapis lazuli to sapphires, enamel to turquoise. Vanity cases are bejewelled cosmetic boxes made for women in Europe starting at the end of the 19th century, and continuing all the way to the mid-20th century. The Blue Road featured just over 80 of these precious boxes.

Threatened by centuries of strife, foreign interference, and China's destruction of its own heritage during the Cultural Revolution, fewer than 10,000 pieces of classical Chinese hardwood furniture are thought to still exist. The furniture that does survive is scattered around the world, making collecting complete sets a daunting challenge. The highlight works in this exhibition provided an insight into the tastes and habits of the collectors and dealers who handled them, while simultaneously shedding light on episodes from China's tumultuous history.

The Secret Garden: Symbols of Nature in Wood, Silver and Gold examined how the natural world is held in high respect by all people and the various ways that it is depicted in art throughout the course of three centuries. Over 200 pieces from the Liang Yi Museum's renowned collections of Chinese antique furniture from the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1912) dynasties, as well as European, American, and Japanese silver and gold vanity cases, were displayed together for the first time to examine how artists, craftsmen, and designers from various continents and cultures created images of aesthetic beauty in response to nature. It looked at the elaborate symbolic language they utilized on objects made of wood, silver, and gold that was meant to be understood by everyone.

Spectacular examples of historical silver dating from the sixteenth to the early 19th century from the renowned Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Collection were displayed alongside dramatic sculptural pieces from noted contemporary silversmiths such as Gerald Benney and Michael Lloyd, along with original sketches. Ranging from the entirely abstract to the startlingly representative, these pieces demonstrate the diverse influences from which silverwork in Britain draws inspiration.

Alongside Masterpieces of British Silver, selected pieces from the Liang Yi Collection of vanities provided a personal perspective to complement the silver exhibits, displaying techniques that parallel those used on silver, but on a smaller scale.

Two floors of the museum focus on different aspects of luxury. The male-dominated and ascetic world of the Chinese scholar's studio was explored through 100 literati objects from collections around the world. Contemporary ink paintings on loan from The Ink Society, Hong Kong illustrate the influence of these objects on artists today. On the upper floor, the opulent world of the early 20th-century woman was examined through a glittering display of European vanities from the houses of Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels and Boucheron, among others.

Together, these contrasting pursuits led to new insights into how luxury was interpreted differently over time and across cultures, and raised interesting questions about luxury in the 21st century.

Arranged by time period and material, the lower floor of the exhibition focused on Ming and early Qing huanghuali, while the upper floor featured pieces made of zitan, a dark, almost purple rosewood that became popular during the Qing dynasty.

Curated by fashion historian Meredith Etherington-Smith, Shanghainese Deco: Vanities in the Roaring Twenties contained over 40 pieces from top jewellers Cartier, Lacloche, and Van Cleef & Arpels, including an elaborate black lacquer compact set with carved jade panels and diamond-cut Chinese calligraphy. Each piece portrayed orientalism at its height, reflecting the synthesis of cultures and modernity that characterised Shanghai before the outbreak of the Second World War in the 1930s.