Jades From China
Condition: SECONDHAND
This is a secondhand book. The jacket image is a photograph of the exact copy we have in stock. This image shows the condition of this book. Further condition remarks are below.
Condition remarks:
Condition: Good. Jacket: very good. Page Condition: Good. Markings: No markings. Binding condition: Binding intact.
Few materials have captivated a civilisation as profoundly as jade has captivated China — for over seven thousand years, this luminous stone has served as a symbol of virtue, immortality, and imperial power. Jades from China chronicles a remarkable survey of Chinese jade objects spanning millennia, presenting artefacts drawn from distinguished collections and examined through the lens of art history, archaeology, and cultural symbolism. Forsyth and McElney guide the reader through a rich chronological arc, from Neolithic ritual pieces to the refined carvings of the Qing dynasty, illustrating how jade's significance evolved across dynasties, philosophies, and social hierarchies. The authors bring rigorous scholarship to bear on questions of craftsmanship, iconography, and connoisseurship, making this volume an essential reference for collectors and historians alike. Published in conjunction with the Museum of East Asian Art in Bath, the work situates these extraordinary objects within their broader cultural and ceremonial contexts, arguing that jade is not merely decorative but constitutes a foundational language of Chinese civilisation. For anyone drawn to the intersection of material culture and imperial history, this catalogue raises a compelling question: what does it mean when a stone becomes a soul?
Author: Angus Forsyth • Brian Mcelney
Format: Hardback
Published: 1994, The Museum of East Asian Art
Genre: Asian history
Condition remarks:
Condition: Good. Jacket: very good. Page Condition: Good. Markings: No markings. Binding condition: Binding intact.
Few materials have captivated a civilisation as profoundly as jade has captivated China — for over seven thousand years, this luminous stone has served as a symbol of virtue, immortality, and imperial power. Jades from China chronicles a remarkable survey of Chinese jade objects spanning millennia, presenting artefacts drawn from distinguished collections and examined through the lens of art history, archaeology, and cultural symbolism. Forsyth and McElney guide the reader through a rich chronological arc, from Neolithic ritual pieces to the refined carvings of the Qing dynasty, illustrating how jade's significance evolved across dynasties, philosophies, and social hierarchies. The authors bring rigorous scholarship to bear on questions of craftsmanship, iconography, and connoisseurship, making this volume an essential reference for collectors and historians alike. Published in conjunction with the Museum of East Asian Art in Bath, the work situates these extraordinary objects within their broader cultural and ceremonial contexts, arguing that jade is not merely decorative but constitutes a foundational language of Chinese civilisation. For anyone drawn to the intersection of material culture and imperial history, this catalogue raises a compelling question: what does it mean when a stone becomes a soul?