Chinese Ivories from the Shang to the Qing

Chinese Ivories from the Shang to the Qing

An exhibition organised by The Oriental Ceramic Society jointly with The British Museum

Oriental Ceramic Society, 1984 [First Edition], colour and b/w photographs throughout, hardcover, dustjacket, ISBN 0903421224

Near Fine Condition, minor shelf-edge wear to dustjacket

'Comparatively little has been written on Chinese ivory carving, and the present catalogue fills a notable gap in the history of Chinese art.  The exhibition it records, organised jointly by the Oriental Ceramic Society and the British Museum, brings together outstanding pieces from the leading public and private collections worldwide.  The arrangement of the exhibits and the explanatory texts are devised to represent the craft in the three thousand years of its history, and to clarify the place of ivories in the artistic exchange between China and the western nations.  The catalogue further considers the sources and structure of the various tusks, the centres of artistic production and the tools employed, and the technical methods of dating.  The research extends to oriental Christian ivories, comparable work in porcelain and wood, the mythology of the subjects, erotica and the wide variety of useful objects.

With 20 colour and 320 monochrome illustrations.'