The British Museum Book of Chinese Art

Thisisanewlyrevisedandupdatededitionofthisaward-winningguidetotheartsofChina.Thebookexplainswhychinesesilksandporcelains,unsurpassedforoverathousandyears,havebeenprizedaroundtheworldfortheirfinetexturesandbrilliantcolours.Paradoxically,theartsvaluedmostinChinahavebeencalligraphy,inkpainting,jadecarvingandbronzecasting.Theauthorsexplainwhy,describingtheoriginsofthesediverseachievementsandsettingthemintheirhistoricalcontextalongsidedecorativeartssuchaslacquer,cloisonnéandglass.Thewealthofillustrationsincludewell-knownblue-and-whiteMingceramicsaswellaslessfamiliarjadesoftheNeolithicperiodandexquisitepaintingsonsilkfromtheBuddhistSilkRoadcavesatDunhuang.