Softcover, 364 pages, color illustrated, New York 2008, new
This catalogue includes illustrations of 34 works of painting and calligraphy, as well as illustrations of portraits of emperors, painting, and calligraphy from the imperial collection. China’s last emperor, Pu Yi, sold off and dispersed countless palace treasures in the early twentieth century, but the Liaoning Provincial Museum has successfully reassembled a large part of that collection since 1949.
Using these select masterpieces as a focus, this exhibition catalogue examines the history of imperial collecting, the management system and its impact on the contemporary art world and society.