Past Awards

This exhibition will feature 100 of the most important masterworks in the genre of flower and bird painting spanning 500 years of the Ming and Qing dynasties. It will examine how coded imagery in these stunning depictions of flora and fauna was used to transmit meanings—central to Chinese art and culture—that link the natural world and the human experience. A fully-illustrated bilingual exhibition catalogue, an international scholarly symposium on the art and culture of the Ming and Qing dynasties, and public and education programs will explore associated themes. GHF funds support the New York presentation of the exhibition.

The 28 years following the Tumu Crisis was among the most politically unstable periods of the Ming Dynasty. Scholars have attributed this chaos to the constant change in rule. This political confusion marked almost every aspect of society, including that of imperial porcelain production. Featuring 158 items from the collection of the Jingdezhen Imperial Ware Museum, the exhibition and its associated programming explained how artistic innovation and experimentation not only survived, but thrived during this tumultuous period.