Symposium Overview
Porcelain Stories Web Site |
Porcelain Stories: From China to Europe
From China's Tang dynasty to present-day domestic and industrial uses, porcelain's role around the world has been an important one to human life. Today, porcelain is so common that we take for granted its striking beauty and versatile functionality. An international symposium in conjunction with the special exhibition at the Seattle Art Museum will trace developments in porcelain manufacturing, trade, and cultural expression, examining its status in the artistic traditions
of Asia and Europe.
Central to the symposium are questions about porcelain's place in different cultures, its status as a desirable commodity, and its artistic form in both Asia and Europe. Seven highly-regarded speakers will explore porcelain's production, demand, and role in the history of global cross-cultural exchange through the centuries.
The technological feat - a magical transformation of clay into durable and elegant ware - and the aesthetic aspects of porcelain production, which reach to the heights of China's Jingdezhen Imperial porcelain and to the Age of Porcelain in Europe, will be a focus of the symposium and the accompanying exhibition in the museum's special galleries.
Exhibition Catalog
A major publication co-authored by the three curators of Porcelain Stories: From China
to Europe will be available at the time of the exhibition.
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